And Then There Were Five
by flutiful17
Summary: When Sophie Kensington is sent to an old family friend's to stay during the London blitz, she meets the four Pevensie siblings. Then, during a game of hide and seek, Lucy Pevensie discovers the land of Narnia in the back of the wardrobe in the spare room... and all of their lives are changed forever.
1. Sophie

Chapter 1: Sophie

It was a chilly morning the day I left London for the Professor's house. The Professor was a dear old family friend, and when Mum and Dad decided to send me out of London with hundreds of other children for protection from the air-raids, they asked specifically for me to be placed with the Professor. Mum was the only one who came to the train station with me, for Dad was with the British army at that point over in France.

Always practical, Mum hugged me close while saying, "Take care of yourself, Sophie. Do you have enough clothes on?"

"Of course I do," I replied, hugging Mum back. "Don't worry about me, I'll be safe with the Professor."

"I know that," Mum sighed. "Give him my love, will you darling? That's a good girl."

"I will," I promised. The train whistled once signalling that departure was close, followed by the shouts of the conductor. "There's the conductor; I'd better be off. I love you, Mum," and kissing my mother's cheek, I picked up my bags and hurried to the train, determined not to cry in front of so many people. I boarded the train and began to look for a car with a seat, or even better, an empty car altogether. There were four people in the only car with a seat open, however, and so I shoved my bags up above and looked out the window for Mum as the train began to pull away. As my luck would have it, however, I couldn't catch a glimpse of Mum through the crowd of worried and tearful parents. I sat down heavily and was determined to ignore the four others in the car.

That, of course, did _not_ happen.

The youngest, a girl who looked to be no more than ten, caught my eye first, as she sat directly opposite me. She was sniffling a little bit and her eyes were red; and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. "Peppermint?" I asked, opening my little purse and offering her one.

"Thank you," she said shyly, wiping the tears from her face with one hand and taking the candy.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Lucy Pevensie," the girl said, adding a moment later, "What's yours?"

"I'm Sophie Kensington," I replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Sophie," Lucy said, and then she sank into silence.

I looked around the car. Next to Lucy was a girl who looked to be no more than fifteen. She was very pretty, with china-doll skin and curls so dark they looked almost black. Opposite her was a boy about sixteen with golden hair and clear blue eyes; and in between us was a boy who looked to be a little younger than me, about thirteen, with dark hair and dark eyes.

"I don't suppose you mind me asking," the golden-haired boy asked suddenly, "but where are you headed?"

"Coombe Halt. A professor friend of my mum's is letting me stay with him," I replied.

"Coombe Halt? A professor? Why, we're going there ourselves!" the older girl exclaimed.

"Then let us become better acquainted!" I said, suddenly feeling much more cheerful. "I'm Sophie, but you probably already knew that."

"You've met Lucy already, and I'm Susan," the girl said. "That's Peter over there with the light hair, and next to you is Edmund."

"Pleasure to meet you all!" I said, suddenly feeling excited about the prospect of spending some months with these four. "It's going to be lovely having you all there too! I thought I would be positively bored to tears, with nothing to do but to tease Mrs. MacCready and discuss philosophy with the professor, but now! Oh, it'll be absolutely lovely!"

"Teasing Mrs. Whats-her-face sounds fun," Edmund remarked sullenly.

"Oh, but it is!" I said. "It's loads of fun. You'll see for yourself in but a couple hours."

"Will she be the one to meet us at the station?" Lucy asked shyly.

"Most likely. Or we'll end up walking," I replied.

"How far of a walk is it?" Peter inquired.

"Oh, perhaps four miles or so. It's a lovely walk," I said.

"Four _miles_? Mrs. MacCready would have us walk _four miles?_" Susan said in disbelief.

"Goodness but I don't know," I said. "She might, just to teach me a lesson for the last prank I pulled on her. That _was_ fun," I sighed, reminiscing on summer days spent at the Professor's.

"What did you do?" Edmund asked curiously.

I spent the next two hours telling the four Pevensies of the pranks I'd pulled on Mrs. MacCready the last time I'd visited, a year earlier. Fifteen minutes into it, the solemn and sad faces of the four had pulled into smiles. By the time we reach Coombe Halt, we were all laughing uncontrollably. "How long did you stay there to pull that many pranks?" Peter asked.

"A fortnight," I replied proudly.

"You did all that within two weeks?" Lucy said through a fit of giggles.

"Yes, I did," I laughed.

"We'd better get our things," Susan said, shaking her head in amusement. "The train's pulling into Coombe Halt."

Edmund and Peter got all the luggage together and even got mine. "I'll take it," I said, but Peter insisted on being a gentleman. "Well, thank you," I said.

"Anytime," Peter said.

We got off the train and walked to the edge of the platform, waiting for Mrs. MacCready to come. After about five minutes, I grumbled, "If she doesn't come soon, I _will _walk." Fortunately, I was spared the trouble, for a horse and cart driven by a dour-looking middle-aged woman, came over a little hill into sight. "That's her," I said.

"How lovely," Edmund said sarcastically.

"Oh, yes," I said, grinning at Edmund.

"Think I could prank her with you? That is, if you're going to," Edmund said.

"Of course," I replied, nodding my head.

Mrs. MacCready pulled up to them. "I see you've arrived," she said sourly, looking directly at me.

"Why, it's so nice to see you again, Mrs. MacCready," I exclaimed, inwardly feeling as if this was the last person in the world I wanted to see.

"A pleasure indeed," Mrs. MacCready said stiffly. Peter and Edmund hid smiles, Lucy's mouth quirked upwards, and Susan coughed to hide a laugh. Mrs. MacCready looked at the four Pevensies. "You're the Pevensies?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Peter said solemnly.

"Haven't you got anything else?" Mrs. MacCready asked dourly.

"No ma'am. Just this," Peter replied.

"Sophie here seems to have as much as all four of you combined," Mrs. MacCready said.

"Well, there was a lot to pack," I said. "Blouses, skirts, dresses, cardigans - and of course, unmentionables." At this point, Edmund had a severe coughing fit.

"Small favors," Mrs. MacCready said sarcastically. "Hop in."

The ride to the professor's wasn't terribly long, and it was made even less long with my comments to Mrs. MacCready and her usual stiff answers. Lucy looked as if she would die from holding in her laughter, Susan's face kept twitching, Peter had his face turned away from all of us while his shoulders shook, and Edmund had several coughing fits (which he promptly blamed on a cold).

Then the Professor's manor, a beautiful home in the style of the Tudors, came into sight. "Oh-h," Lucy breathed when she saw it. The others agreed instantly it was the most beautiful home they'd ever seen. I certainly agreed with them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said.

"Very," Peter agreed emphatically.

When we got inside, Mrs. MacCready began spouting off a list of rules we had to follow. "There'll be no shoutin', and no runnin'," she said. Susan reached her hand out to touch an old statue in the front hall as she passed by it, and Mrs. MacCready exclaimed, "and NO touchin' of the historical artifacts!"

Peter and Edmund hid laughter, while I rolled my eyes at Mrs. MacCready and Susan looked defensive. "Her tongue's worse than her bite," I whispered to Susan.

"Good," Susan said.

"And above all," Mrs. MacCready said, turning around at the top of the stairs, "There'll be no disturbin' of the professor."

"Does that include philosophical conversations?" I asked impishly.

Mrs. MacCready only glared at me.

That night, the five of us were all gathered in Susan and Lucy's room. "The sheets feel scratchy," Lucy complained.

"We'll be home soon, Lu," Susan assured her.

"Yeah, if home's still there," Edmund said.

"Ed!" Peter said warningly.

An awkward silence settled over the room, a silence that I felt was my job to break. "Tomorrow, if it's not raining, would you all like a tour of the grounds?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Lucy said.

"I think that would be delightful," Susan agreed.

"Thank you," Peter said, ever the gentleman.

Edmund, as I expected, said nothing but stood silently in his corner. I decided against making an effort to pull him out of his sullen silence, but instead merely yawned and said, "I think I'm going to go to bed, if that's all right with you four."

"Absolutely, Sophie," Susan said. "I think we're all tired from the day."

"Well, goodnight then. Sleep well," and with that I left the room to go down the hall to my room. I changed from my skirt and sweater to pajamas and crawled into bed, suddenly exhausted from the long day of traveling. Within seconds I was lost to sleep, but not before wondering what the next day would bring.


	2. The Wardrobe

Chapter 2: The Wood in the Back of the Wardrobe

Of course, the next morning it was raining.

"I wish we could go outside," I said, looking out the window at the pouring rain.

"But we can't," Edmund said sullenly from the floor.

"Thanks for reiterating that, Ed," Peter said. He and Susan were playing a dictionary game on the sofa. I was _not_ participating.

"Gast-ro-vascular. Gastrovascular," Susan said.

"Is it Latin?" Peter asked tiredly.

"Is it Latin for worst game ever invented?" Edmund said cheekily. Susan glared at him and slammed the book shut.

"We could play hide-and-seek," Lucy suggested.

"But we're already having so much fun," Peter said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and went back to looking out the window.

"C'mon, Peter, please," Lucy said, shaking her brother's arm. "Please?"

Apparently Peter was not immune to his sister's puppy-dog eyes. "One... two... three..." he began to count. I whirled around in astonishment as Edmund protested, Susan got up reluctantly, and Lucy ran off in excitement to hide. Then I realized we were actually playing hide-and-seek, and so I also ran off to find a place to hide. I knew all the best hiding places in the house, and so I was sure I would win.

Then, just as I was hiding behind a secret panel in the wall, Lucy burst into the hallway shouting, "I'm back! It's all right! I'm back!"

"Back from where?" I asked, coming out from my hiding spot.

Ed was hiding behind a drapery on the other side of the wall and poked his head out, looking annoyed. "Shut up, Lu, Pete's coming!

Just then Peter came around the corner. "You know, I don't think you quite get the point of hide-and-seek," he said.

Susan came running in. "Does this mean I win?"

"I'm not sure Lucy gets the idea of the game," Peter began.

"Haven't you all been wondering where I was?" Lucy asked, confused. "I've been gone for hours."

"Hours?" I asked, blinking rapidly in confusion.

"Where?" Peter asked.

"The wood behind the wardrobe, it's called Narnia," Lucy said, taking Peter by the hand and dragging him out of the room. I followed closely behind with Susan and Edmund. Lucy led us to a spare room with nothing in it but a wardrobe. It was a remarkably bare room, but for some reason, when I looked at the wardrobe, chills ran up and down my spine. However, when we looked in the back of the wardrobe, all that was there was merely a wooden back.

"There's nothing there, Lu," Peter said.

"Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?" Susan said.

"It really was there," Lucy said hesitantly.

"Well I believe you," Ed said.

We all looked at him in surprise. "You do?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you about the football field in the bathroom cupboard?" Ed joked.

"Now will you just shut it?" Peter said angrily.

"Who put you in charge?" Edmund retorted sharply. "You think you're Dad, but you're not!" With that he ran out of the room.

"Nicely handled," Susan said sarcastically, and she too walked out of the room.

"But it really was there," Lucy said, a bit sadly.

"We don't all have your imaginations, Lucy," and Peter also left, leaving Lucy and I standing in front of the wardrobe.

I felt a bit dizzy after what had just happened. "Well then," was all I could say.

"Do you believe me?" Lucy asked.

"I - I don't know," I said. "I want to belive you, Lucy, I really truly do. However it's such an unlikely thing to happen. Woods don't just appear in the backs of wardrobes."

"I know," Lucy said. "I wouldn't lie about this, though."

"I know you wouldn't," I said. "It's a very difficult story to believe, however. I really want to believe you, but my mind is telling me otherwise."

"I suppose I understand," Lucy sighed.

I felt badly for Lucy, so to cheer her up, I asked, "I don't suppose you would telling me all about what happened in the wood in the back of the wardrobe, would you?"

Lucy's face brightened. "Of course! It started when I went into the wardrobe to hide..."

**_Sorry this is a shorter chapter! The real action will be coming soon, however, I promise! ~the authoress_**


	3. Discovering the Wood

Chapter 3: Discovering the Wood

I couldn't sleep that night. It was difficult to sleep when all I could see in my head was the London bombings every night. All I could see were the explosions... and waking up one morning to find that my home was gone, as well as my best friend Kate.

_"Sophie. Sophie, wake up, this instant," Mum said. _

_I sat up instantly from my position on the rug I lay on in our bomb shelter. "What's wrong? I asked, knowing something was wrong. "It's not..."_

_"Our home is gone," Mum said. Her face was ashen. _

_I jumped up from the floor and ran up the steps out of the bomb shelter, not even thinking of whether or not it would be safe. I gasped when I saw my home was merely a pile of rubble, and there was nothing left. Our next door neighbor's home, where my dearest friend Kate Andrews lived, also was reduced to rubble. _

_Out of the corner of my eye I saw a distraught Mrs. Andrews stumbling over to me. "Gone," she sobbed. "Gone."  
_

_"I know, your home is gone," Mum said, going to meet our neighbor. I hadn't even noticed Mum coming up behind me. _

_"No," Mrs. Andrews said. "Kate. She's - she's gone."  
_

_My heart dropped into the bottom of my stomach. "Wasn't she in your shelter?" I asked, dreading the answer. _

_Mrs. Andrews turned to me, utter panic and despair in her eyes. "No," she said in a dead voice. "She went back to the house to get something."  
_

_I looked toward the rubble. "No," I said, hardly believing it. "No."_

_Mum tried to pull me close, but I broke away. "No," I said, tears forming in my eyes. I turned and ran away from Mum and Mrs. Andrews, away from the rubble, away from our street, away from the place where my best friend lay dead, buried underneath a pile of bricks and memories. _

I gasped, realizing I had been reliving that memory in a dream, and sat straight up in bed, shaking violently. It had been three months since that happened, and yet I could see it all as if it had just happened moments ago. I looked down at my trembling hands and willed myself to stop shaking. It took a little while for that to happen, but a few moments later I stopped shaking. I lay back down, only to sit up again. I couldn't sleep - not after that.

So it was that I found myself wandering around the professor's home, looking vaguely at the old artifacts and wondering if I would ever be able to forget that awful day. It was nearly an hour later that I passed a clock and decided going to bed would be a wise idea, since it was nearly three o'clock in the morning. I found my way to the hallway where our bedrooms were located and was just about to go in my bed when I saw a small dark figure slip out of the Pevensie girls' room. I would have ignored the fact entirely and assumed she was using the bathroom, when I realized she was going in the exact opposite direction of the bathroom. In fact, she was going in the direction of the spare room with the wardrobe. "Oh, Lucy," I whispered to myself. To make matters worse, I saw Edmund returning from the bathroom - and he had also seen Lucy.

I followed Edmund and Lucy to the spare room, hanging behind them a little so they wouldn't notice me. I slipped into the room just as I saw Edmund go in and shut the door behind him. I couldn't believe that Edmund would try to play such a cruel trick on his sister. Yes, Edmund was moody and lashed out at his siblings a lot, but I did not think that he would take things so far. I ran up to the wardrobe and pulled the door open, expecting to find a crying Lucy and a smirking Edmund.

Yet there was no one.

I blinked a few times in confusion, then stepped into the wardrobe hesitantly. It was rather chilly inside the wardrobe and I was glad I had remembered to wear my robe when I had gone for my late-night ramble through the house. I felt around for the back of the wardrobe, or Lucy, or Edmund; but all I found was coats. Coats and something cold... and wet.

I pushed my way through coats and stepped into the chilly sunlight of a winter morning. I couldn't believe my eyes at what I saw, for I was standing in a snowy wood. I looked behind me and was quite relieved to see the wardrobe still there. "I must be hallucinating," I said to myself. "This cannot be real." I stepped through the snow, wondering the whole time how it was that there really was a wood in the back of the wardrobe. I came to a little clearing, and much to my surprise, saw a lamppost standing there. "This place is getting curiouser and curiouser," I said, quoting Alice in Wonderland. "Why would anybody have any need of a lamppost in the middle of a wood?"

"Sophie!" Lucy's voice sounded. I looked around and saw the little girl crashing through the snow as she ran to me. "I told you it was real! I told you!" she sang out. Upon reaching me she threw her arms around my waist. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"You were right," I said, looking around me and hardly believing that Lucy's wood in the back of the wardrobe was real. "You were right," I repeated. Then I realized Edmund wasn't with her. "Where's Ed?" I asked.

Lucy looked confused. "I haven't seen him at all," she said.

"I saw him follow you into the wardrobe," I said.

"Well time works differently here then it does back home," Lucy explained. "That's why I was here for hours the first time and it was only seconds back in England."

I frowned, trying to grasp the concept of a world where time moved differently than time as I knew it. However, before I could say anything, I heard footsteps behind us. Evidently Lucy did also, because we both whirled around at the same time. It was only Edmund, however, and nothing that would cause us any alarm. Lucy was so excited to see her brother that she ran up to him and threw her arms around him. "Edmund!" she gasped. "You came here too!"

Edmund did not seem half as pleased to see his sister. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Are you all right? You look _awful_," Lucy said in concern.

"I'm fine," Edmund said. "I'm freezing, that's all. Which way's home?"

"Come on," Lucy said in a motherly voice and, taking him by the hand, led him in the direction of the wardrobe. I followed them, also feeling quite cold and still bewildered at such a strange turn of events.

When we went through the wardrobe, we headed straight for our rooms. Lucy burst into the boys' rooms and jumped on Peter's bed. "Peter, Peter!" she said, bouncing on him. "Wake up, wake up! It's there, it's really there!"

"Lucy, it's the middle of the night," Peter said groggily as Susan came into the boys' room. "What's really there?"

"Narnia; it's all in the wardrobe, just like I told you! And this time Edmund and Sophie went too!"

I was standing outside the room, hidden in the shadows; but Edmund was in the room, taking his robe and slippers off. "You went there, Ed?" Peter asked .

Edmund stopped what he was doing for a moment. "I - I was just playing along," he stammered. "I'm sorry, Peter, Susan. I shouldn't have encouraged her. But - you know how little kids are these days. Sometimes they don't know when to stop pretending."

Lucy's face crumpled in pain and I gasped at Edmund's blatant lie. _I_ had been there too, but apparently he had forgotten there was another witness. Before I could say anything in Lucy's defense, however, Lucy ran out of the room crying and Peter and Susan began to chase her, leaving Edmund on his bed. "You spiteful creature," I said to Edmund before running after the other three Pevensies.

Before any of us could catch up with Lucy, she ran straight into none other than Professor Kirke himself. "Oh dear," I said nervously, biting my lip. The professor was a dear, and I knew he would try to comfort Lucy; but what was really nerve-wracking was the fact that Mrs. MacCready had heard us and was coming down.

"You children are one shenanigan shy of sleeping in the stable!" she shouted as she came down the hall, but stopped as soon as she saw the professor. "Oh, Professor! I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I told the children you were not to be disturbed."

"It's all right, Mrs. MacCready," the professor said mildly. "I don't mind. First of all, I think this little one is in need of some hot chocolate."

"Come along, dear," Mrs. MacCready said, softening a little at Lucy's teary eyes and sad face. She put one arm around Lucy's shoulders and led her away.

Peter, Susan, and I were ready to go back to our rooms, but the professor ahem-ed and said he wanted to talk to us. He led us to his study, a cozy room with a multitude of bookshelves and old chairs that I remembered well. The professor told us to sit, and he lit a pipe and sat down in a chair behind his desk while we found ourselves on various chairs scattered throughout the room. "Now, then," the professor said, settling himself on his chair. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Peter and Susan looked at each other. "It's our sister, Lucy," Peter began hesitantly. "She thinks she's found a magical land." The professor smiled. Peter added, "In the upstairs wardrobe."

The professor's eyes opened wide and he sat up straight in his chair. "What did you say?" he breathed.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Susan asked worriedly.

"You mean to say you don't?" the professor said.

"Of course not. It's not logical," Susan said.

"Logical! What do they teach in schools these days," the professor muttered under his breath. He looked up at the three of us, and seemed to notice me for the first time since I'd arrived. "Sophie, dear, what do you think?"

"I was there," I said.

Peter and Susan looked at me in surprise. "You _what?_" Susan said.

"I was there," I repeated. "I saw it for myself, the wood, the lamppost, everything. It's all there, in the back of the wardrobe."

"What is the wood called?" the professor asked, deeply interested.

"I belive Lucy calls it Narnia," I said.

"Oh-h," the professor said, drawing in breath. "It still exists."

Susan looked as if she was going to fall over in a dead faint. "This is complete nonsense," she declared.

"I have to agree with Susan," Peter said.

"Are you calling us crazy?" I asked, glaring at the elder Pevensies.

"Yes," Susan said.

"I'm not crazy, I swear," I said. "And neither is the Professor."

"Woods don't exist in the back of wardrobes. It simply isn't possible!" Susan said.

"She's right," Peter said uncertainly. "It really isn't possible."

"Then let us say, for logical purposes, that Lucy is the only one to have gone to Narnia," the professor said. "There are three possibilities in that case: that she is lying, that she is crazy, or that she is telling the truth. Now, does your sister lie?"

"No," Peter admitted. "In fact, Edmund does that far more than Lucy."

"Has she ever exhibited signs of insanity?" Again Peter and Susan were forced to admit that she had not. "In that case, the only _logical _possibility is that your sister is telling the truth."

Susan opened her mouth to say something, but shut it. Peter looked as though he was in an insane asylum and wished to get out as quickly as possible. "So you're saying, sir, that we should _believe _Lucy?"

"She's your sister, isn't she? You're family. You might just try acting like one," the professor said. With that, he refused to say anything more on the subject, so the elder Pevensies and I headed back to our rooms. Peter and Susan kept looking at me oddly, but I looked straight ahead and wouldn't say anything about the wood behind the wardrobe. When we got back to our rooms, I crawled into bed as quickly as possible, leaving my robe and slippers in a heap on the floor. My mind was racing with questions, in particular with regards to how the professor knew about Narnia. His words, "_It still exists"_ kept running through my mind over and over again. Had the professor ever been to Narnia before? Did he know that the wardrobe transported people to another world? Exhausted, I fell asleep wondering what the answers were to these questions, but I was also determined to find out the answers to them.

_**Some of Sophie's backstory in this one! I hope you all liked it! Please review, it would be much appreciated! ~ the authoress**_


	4. Questions and Answers

Chapter 4: Questions and Answers

I woke up the next morning to bright, cheerful sunshine streaming in through my window. I slowly stretched, savoring the feeling of warm sunlight on my face. It would be a good day today, I decided. I would show the Pevensies around the grounds and perhaps talk to the professor to see how he was doing...

Then I remembered the events from the night before and I sat straight up. I _had_ to talk to the professor and find out more about the wood behind the wardobe. He said last night that it still existed. From that I concluded he had been there before, but when? What happened when he went? How long was he there? I had so many questions and I was desperate for answers.

I climbed out of bed and hurriedly got dressed, wanting to get breakfast over with as quickly as possible so I could go find the professor. I rushed down to the dining hall, where Mrs. MacCready was serving breakfast to the four Pevensies. "You slept late today," she remarked sourly.

"I didn't sleep well last night," I said truthfully, sitting down at the table.

"Of course you didn't, traipsing around in the middle of the night botherin' the professor," Mrs. MacCready said.

I wisely chose not to respond and instead helped myself to some oatmeal, the likes of which I could not stand but it _was_ wartime after all. I ate quickly, ignoring the fact that the oatmeal was lumpy and stuck in my throat. As soon as I finished I got up, and Edmund said sullenly, "Where are _you_ off to in such a hurry?"

"Nowhere in particular," I replied. "If you want, I'll show you all around the grounds today. It's a lovely day outside."

"That would be lovely, Sophie," Susan said. "I think a walk is just what we all need."

"After lunch, then?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Susan said.

I left the dining hall and headed immediately for the professor's study, where I knew he would be. I was right, for when I opened the door to his study, I saw him sitting at his desk. He seemed to be deep in thought, for although he had pen in hand and paper before him, he was staring off into space. I knocked and said, "Professor? May I come in?"

"Oh! Sophie, dear, do come in," the professor said, sitting up. "What can I help you with?"

"I had some questions from last night," I said, walking into the cozy study and breathing in the smell of old books and ink.

"Ah," the professor said, nodding his head. "I thought you'd be by sometime to talk about that. Ask anything you wish, my dear."

I hesitated a moment, wondering which question I should ask him first. Finally I decided to be blunt and said, "Professor, why did you say last night '_It still exists?'"_

The professor looked very hard at me and then suddenly got up from his chair. I watched as he crossed the room to the bookshelves. Climbing up a ladder, he looked around the top shelves until he pulled a book from the second highest shelf. He clambered back down and came over to me. Handing me a small leather journal, he said, "I think you'll find all the answers you seek in here."

I knew the professor was not likely to say anything more on the subject, so I thanked him and left the study. I went outside and walked for a long time before I found a tree perfect for sitting and reading underneath the shade. Sitting down, I opened the book and began to read.

It was the tale of a young boy named Digory Kirke and a girl named Polly Plummer. It was the story of Digory's half-crazed magician Uncle Andrew Ketterley, and a dying world called Charn; the story of a cold, beautiful queen named Jadis, and of Digory's dying mother. Most importantly, it was the story of the birth of a new world, and how although Digory brought evil into this world he also brought the remedy for such evil. Never before had I felt so many emotions in the span of a few hours then while I was reading that book. I laughed at Uncle Andrew's stupidity and how the talking Narnian animals tried to plant him as a tree; I was captivated as Jadis grew a lamppost from a small iron bar of a lamppost in England; I cried at Digory's concern for his sick mother; I read with baited breath how Jadis tried to tempt Digory with an apple that would heal his mother. It was a fascinating story, and it was with some sadness that I neared the end. Then, the very ending caught my attention and made me realize all the answers to the questions I had.

_"After Digory's mother had eaten of the apple, Digory took the seeds and planted a tree in their garden. The tree grew strong and healthy, for it was of that other world; but after many years it was struck with lightning during a particularly bad thunderstorm. Digory was sad to see the tree go, but salvaged much wood out of it and had a wardrobe made out of it. He placed this wardrobe in a spare room of his in his large manor, and nary a day went by that he did not come by that room to see the wardrobe and wonder if he could somehow be transported to that other world through the wardrobe. Many times he tried, but every single time he failed, and Digory doubted if he would ever see the land of Narnia again."_

I gasped upon reading the words, "_The land of Narnia," _ and the dots quickly began to connect in my head. The professor's last name was Kirke, and he lived in a manor with a spare room containing only a wardrobe. The land Lucy, Edmund, and I had travelled to through the wardrobe was called Narnia, and furthermore there was a lamppost there in the middle of the wood. Of course the wardrobe would transport us there, for the lamppost lay at the site of the creation of that other world called Narnia. The professor therefore was none other than the little boy in the story. He was Digory Kirke, and he had been to Narnia at the beginning of time.

I stood up, feeling slightly dizzy. Any doubt I had left of Narnia being merely a figment of my sleep-deprived mind was banished. The professor had been to Narnia himself. Narnia was, in fact, real.

I looked up at the sky and realized it was about to rain. Tucking the book inside my shirt so it would be safe from the rain, I began to make my way back to the house. I felt soft raindrops hit my skin, but I didn't care whether or not I got completely soaked. I had been to another world. I, Sophie Kensington from London, as insignificant of a person as a person could get, had been to another world and come back to tell the tale, even if I had only been there for five minutes. It was such a beautiful thought - such a beautiful _reality_ \- that I could hardly bear it.

The rain was pouring down on me now as I approached the house. I did not run, however, but savored the walk. I didn't care if I got sick with a cold, or worse. All I could think about was everything I had just discovered. My mind was racing with the story I had just read, the answers to my questions, and the fact I had indeed been to another world.

I entered the house through the door leading into the room that the Pevensies and I spent most of our time in, and the four Pevensies indeed were sitting there, looking completely bored. They jumped up when I came in, however.

"Sophie, you're soaking wet!" Susan cried out.

"What were you doing out there? You'll get sick for sure," Peter said anxiously.

"I don't care if I get sick," I said breathlessly.

"You're an idiot," Edmund said, and went back to his book.

I stuck my tongue out at him in annoyance, but I was getting rather cold. "I think I'm going to go upstairs and dry off," I said. "I suppose this rain means we won't be going outside anymore."

"No, I don't suppose we will," Peter said, giving me an odd look.

I shrugged and left the room in search of warm clothes, shivering the whole way up. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to simply walk back through the pouring rain, I thought to myself. However, the chill didn't take away from my excitement at having discovered the answers to my questions. I changed and dried off quickly, deciding to go find the professor and talk to him about Narnia. Book in hand I hurried to the professor's study once I'd finished drying off and knocked on the door. "Come in," I heard the professor said. I opened the door and stood there, not knowing what exactly to begin with. The professor knew what to say, though. "Did you find the answers to all your questions?" he asked, smiling at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"I think I have," I said, smiling back at the professor.

_**I told you the action would begin! Review please, thanks so much in advance! And thanks to sarahwood for being my very first reviewer ever! ~the authoress**_


	5. Back to the Wood

Chapter 5: Back to the Wood

The next morning, I woke up with a very nasty cold, the sort of cold that one feels achy and chilly, and it seems as though there are a hundred tiny dwarves pounding hammers into one's head. I was rather dismayed at this, for this meant I could not leave my room for a few days and of course those few days happened to be the brightest and sunniest of all the days we had spent so far at the professor's. I could see the four Pevensies roam the outdoors from my window, and I watched them silently, wishing that I could be well enough to be outside and hoping that my cold would not turn into something worse. Fortunately, within four or so days I was able to be up and about again, and that first day I was better was the day that the five of us decided to play cricket outside.

Lucy would not play, but instead sat by herself and contented herself with a good novel. I did not play, either, for Susan wouldn't let me since I was getting over a cold. So I sat in a garden chair and watched as Peter, Susan, and Edmund played. I laughed a little at Peter, for he threw himself into the game entirely, despite the fact that Edmund spent half the time staring off into space and that Susan was not very good at cricket.

"Ed!" Peter called after Edmund missed the ball yet again. "Stop staring off into space! Susan could hit the ball harder than you."

Edmund was clearly annoyed by Peter's comment, and when Peter threw the ball at Edmund the next time, Edmund whacked it so hard that it flew into a beautiful stain-glass window, shattering a rather large hole in it. Too stunned to say anything, the five of us ran into the house and inspected the damage. "Well done, Ed," Peter said.

"You bowled it!" Edmund said defensively.

"What in heaven's name is going on up there?" Mrs. MacCready's voice echoed.

"The MacCready," I gasped.

"Run," Peter ordered us, and for once we all listened. We ran down hallways and stairwells in search of a place to hide, but no matter where we ran it seemed as if Mrs. MacCready was nearly there as well. Finally we stopped in front of the spare room with the wardrobe. "C'mon," Edmund said, throwing the door open and running over to the wardrobe.

"You've got to be joking," Susan said.

However, we heard footsteps closing in on us, and so we ran into the spare room and crammed ourselves into the wardrobe.

"Ow, Peter, you're on my foot!" Susan yelped.

"Stop shoving!" Edmund complained.

"I'm not shoving," Lucy protested. "You're shoving!"

"Get off my foot!" I gasped.

Then Susan shrieked. "I felt something wet," she said.

I looked behind me and saw the beautiful sight of the snowy wood in the wardrobe called Narnia. I smiled, thinking that now the Pevensie siblings would be reconciled and that all would be right. Peter and Susan turned around and gasped at what they saw. "It can't be," Peter breathed. We stepped out into the woods, greeted by the cold winter sun on our faces and the crisp smell of pine and snow. "It's real," Peter said. "Narnia's real."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just your imagination," Lucy said impishly.

"Oh, Lucy, I'm so sorry," Peter apologized regretfully. "Does this make up for it?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Lucy said solemnly, but I could see the snowball she held behind her back. "But this might!" she said, throwing the snowball at him.

Peter gasped and then made a snowball himself and threw it back at her. Soon we were in a full-fledged snowball fight, and oh was it ever exhilarating! I hadn't had as much fun in those few moments as I had had in a very long time, perhaps since before the war. Edmund ruined the moment, however, when a snowball hit him and he whined, "Ow! Stop it!"

We all stopped what we were doing. "You little liar," Peter said in disgust.

"You didn't believe her, either!" Edmund said.

"I apologized to Lucy," Peter said quietly. "Say you're sorry."

"All right! I'm sorry," Edmund said.

"That's all right," Lucy said. "Some little children don't know when to stop pretending.

"Very funny," Edmund muttered.

Susan sighed and changed the subject. "Do you think we should go back?" she asked.

"I think Lucy should decide," Peter said.

Lucy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I think we should all go and see Mr. Tumnus!" Mr. Tumnus was a faun Lucy had met her first time to Narnia.

"That's a lovely idea," I said. "I for one would love to meet him!"

"But we can't go hiking in the snow dressed like this," Susan said.

"Well I don't suppose the professor would mind us using these," Peter said, going into the wardrobe and coming out with five fur coats. "Anyway, if you think about it logically, we aren't even taking them out of the wardrobe." He handed one first to Lucy, then Susan, then me, and finally Edmund.

"That's a girl's coat!" Edmund protested.

"So?" Peter shrugged. Edmund glared at him. Peter just ignored him and said to Lucy, "Lead the way!"

"All right!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly. She grabbed Peter and I by the hands and began to hurry off past the lamppost. Peter and I looked at each other and laughed, Susan and Edmund behind us keeping up the best they could. Lucy talked the whole way of Mr. Tumnus and all the good things we would have once we reached his home. "There'll be lots and lots of cake, and lots and lots of tea, and - " Lucy suddenly cut off at the sight of what I assumed was Mr. Tumnus's front door completely knocked off the hinges. "No!" Lucy gasped, and ran towards the door.

"Lucy!" Peter said, running after her. I also ran after her, close on Peter's heels. Inside, I was shocked to find that the house, cave, or whatever-it-was, was completely ransacked, as if thieves had robbed Mr. Tumnus.

"Who would do such a thing?" Lucy wondered aloud sadly.

"Look, there's a notice," Peter said, ripping off a piece of paper that was nailed to a wooden beam. "Faun, Tumnus, has been arrested on the grounds of high treason for harboring humans against the will of Her Majesty, Jadis, Queen of Narnia. Signed Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police."

"We really should go home," Susan said. I was, unfortunately, inclined to agree with her.

"We can't just leave," Lucy said.

"Susan's right," Peter said. "If he's been arrested, I don't think there's much we can do."

"But don't you see?" Lucy asked. Apparently none of us did. "I'm the human! We can't just leave him like this!"

"Lucy's right," I said hesitantly. "He saved her, so we should help him as much as we can."

"They don't seem to like humans very much here," Peter argued. "What help would we be to him?"

"I don't know, but shouldn't we at least try?" I said. "Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?"

"Yes, but at the same time," Peter began, but was interrupted by Susan.

"Listen," she said. A bird was at the door, whistling. "Did that bird just 'psst' to us?"

"Um..." I said uncertainly, for I had not been listening, and followed Susan outside.

The bird hopped from tree to tree, whistling and looking intently at us. I blinked, wondering why it seemed as though the bird wanted us to follow him. "I think he wants us to follow him," I said, but before anyone could respond, we heard rustling in the bushes nearby.

"What was that?" Lucy asked fearfully, hiding behind Peter. Peter instinctively put himself in front of Susan and I as well as the bushes shook again.

"Someone's in there," I whispered, and gripped Susan's hand in fear.

_**I wonder what's in the bushes? ;) Thanks for the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming, as the more reviews I get, the more inspired I feel to write! ~ the authoress **_


	6. The Prophecy

Chapter 6: The Prophecy

We all huddled behind Peter, waiting for whatever was in the bushes to come out. I felt slightly queasy; for there was no way we could defend ourselves if it was an agent of the Narnian Queen, and who knew what she would do to us, as she seemed to hate humans so much. As I thought this, the creature in the bushes came out and turned out to be...

"It's a beaver!" Lucy said in surprise.

Peter stepped forward and snapped his fingers. "Here, boy," he said coaxingly. "C'mere, boy."

"Well I'm not goin' to bite you if that's what you want," said the beaver. Lucy shrieked, I nearly jumped out of my skin in shock, and Susan almost fainted.

"You talk," Peter said.

"Of course I talk," the beaver said. "But not here - it's not safe here."

The beaver began to move towards the thick of the woods, and Peter began to follow him. "What are you doing?" Susan hissed.

"He said to follow him," trusting Peter shrugged.

"He's a _beaver!" _Susan exclaimed. "He shouldn't be saying anything!"

"Are the lot of you coming, or what?" the beaver asked exasperatedly.

"We were just talking," Peter said.

"There are better places to do that," the beaver said. "They might be spying on us."

"He means the trees," Lucy whispered.

I looked around, startled. "The trees?" I asked.

"I'll explain later," Lucy promised.

We followed the beaver silently through the snowy woods for at least ten or so minutes when we rounded a bend and came upon a cozy beaver dam built across a frozen creek. "It's a lovely dam," I said politely.

"Isn't it though?" the beaver said, clearly very proud of his home. "Still got some fixin' up to do, but it'll be all mended by the time spring comes around."

"I thought spring never came here," Lucy said, confused.

"No, it hasn't been here for a hundred years," replied the beaver, "but now that you're all here..." he trailed off and scurried forward.

"Beaver? Is that you? I've been worried sick!" a female voice called out. "If I find you've been out with Badger again I'll - oh!" We came around some bushes and saw another beaver standing outside the dam. "Well those aren't badgers," she said in an awe-struck voice. "Oh, I never thought I'd see the day! Look at my fur. You couldn't have given me ten minutes warning?"

"You look lovely, dear," Mr. Beaver said. "Let's get this lot inside though. They mustn't be seen by _her_ spies."

"Of course, of course," Mrs. Beaver agreed. "Come on, and let's get you all warmed up! I've got a nice pot of tea on the stove and we'll have a lovely dinner. Perhaps I'll even get out a pot of the best strawberry jam," she mused as she led us inside.

The beavers' dam was a snug, cozy home with a ceiling so low even petite me had to hunch over when standing inside. Lucy could barely stand up straight herself. "Do you need any help?" I offered to Mrs. Beaver.

"No, dearie," Mrs. Beaver said, beaming at me. "Just rest yourself, but I do thank you for asking."

I sat down on a small chair at the table along with Peter, Susan, and Lucy. Edmund sullenly chose to stand behind us, and so Mr. Beaver took the other seat. "What's going to happen to Mr. Tumnus?" was Lucy's immediate question.

"I don't know, dearie," Mrs. Beaver said, pouring us all tea. "Who knows what that witch will do to him?"

"Witch?" I asked. "Is she that bad?"

"Oh, my dear, I think you misunderstood Mrs. Beaver," Mr. Beaver said. "She's not calling her a witch to describe how evil she is, so to speak. She's calling her a witch because she really is one."

"The Queen of Narnia's a _witch?_" Peter said.

"We should've gone back while we could," I heard Susan mutter underneath her breath.

"Yes, she is a witch," Mr. Beaver said. "The White Witch, they call her. She's the one responsible for this dam - I mean, cursed winter."

"Mr. Beaver, watch your language," Mrs. Beaver scolded.

"I did watch my language, thank you very much," Mr. Beaver replied. "I didn't say it, did I? Exactly."

"Why doesn't the White Witch like humans?" I asked.

"It's 'cause of the prophecy," Mr. Beaver said.

"What prophecy?" Susan asked.

"What _prophecy?" _Mr. Beaver nearly spit out his drink. "They don't even know about the prophecy!"

"Well, then, tell them," Mrs. Beaver suggested calmly.

"Right then. There's an old prophecy that goes, 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done.'" Mr. Beaver looked around at us intently. I felt shivers go up my back as he spoke, and I looked over at Peter. He glanced over at me and our eyes met. I could tell he was also wondering about the prophecy.

"You know, that doesn't really rhyme," Susan pointed out.

"It - what - that's not what really matters, does it?" Mr. Beaver spluttered.

"Let me explain," Mrs. Beaver broke in softly. "It's long been foretold that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve come to Narnia and take their places as the rightful kings and queens of Narnia, then the Witch's reign shall be broken and peace shall come to Narnia."

"And you think we're the ones?" Peter asked, looking overwhelmed.

"Well you'd better be the ones 'cause Aslan's got a whole army waitin' for you!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed.

I looked over at Peter and back to Mr. Beaver. "Excuse me, but who's Aslan? And where do I fit in with all this?"

"I don't know where you fit in with all this," Mrs. Beaver said.

I blinked in confusion. "What?" I said. "They get a prophecy and I get - _nothing?"_

"I'm sorry, dearie," Mrs. Beaver said. "But I really don't know where you fit in with all this. I'm sure Aslan will tell you, though."

"And who's Aslan?" I asked for the second time.

"Who's Aslan? Why, he's the real king o' Narnia!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed. I felt a warm feeling spread through me when I heard the name Aslan. I looked around at the other Pevensies and saw they too were fascinated by the name of Aslan. "He's got your whole army waitin' for you at the Stone Table!"

"Stone Table?" I asked.

"Army?" Lucy gasped.

"Mum sent us away so we wouldn't get caught up in a war," Susan said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we can't do this," Peter said. "We really should be getting back."

"You can't just leave now!" Mr. Beaver exploded.

"What about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked.

"I'm really sorry, but I need to keep my family safe," Peter said, standing up from the table.

"Well, I'm staying," I said. "If you won't help Mr. Tumnus or go to Aslan, I will."

"Sophie, that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard of!" Peter said. "You'd be better off coming with us, to where it's safe."

"What could you even possibly do to help Mr. Tumnus anyway?" Susan asked.

"I don't know, but I'll find a way," I said.

Peter sighed. "Fine. I hope you come back home alive though."

"I will," I retorted.

"It's time the rest of us were going, anyway," Peter said, ignoring my last comment. "Ed?"

We all turned around to where Edmund had been, but there was no one there. I felt a chill run through my heart when I saw he was gone. "Where is he?" Lucy asked.

"We should've gone back while we still could," Susan groaned.

"I'm gonna kill him," Peter vowed.

"You may not have to," Mr. Beaver said. We all turned around to face him. "Has Edmund ever been to Narnia before?"

"Yes," Lucy said.

"Did he meet anyone while he was here?" Mr. Beaver pressed.

"I don't know," Lucy said. "I was at Mr. Tumnus' most of the time when I was here last and I met up with Edmund on my way back home."

"He's probably met the White Witch and betrayed the lot of you then," Mr. Beaver said.

I gasped. Would Edmund have really _betrayed_ his whole family to the White Witch? "Why would he do that?" I asked.

"My guess is she probably promised him that he would be King of Narnia," Mrs. Beaver said softly.

"She doesn't want any of you here, though, because if you fulfill the prophecy, her reign will be through," Mr. Beaver added.

"What can we do now?" Peter asked desperately.

"We need to get to the Stone Table, now," Mr. Beaver said solemnly. "Only Aslan can help us now."

_**And there you go. They met the Beavers, the Pevensies found out about the prophecy, Sophie doesn't know why she's even in Narnia, and Edmund's gone to find the White Witch. Review please, it's always encouraging to see new reviews! ~ the authoress**_


	7. Night Terrors

Chapter 7: Night Terrors

"We've got to move, fast," Mr. Beaver was saying. I stood quite still, shocked by the fact that Edmund had betrayed his family, just like that. I looked at Peter and saw that he felt the same way. Lucy, too, sat motionless in her chair with a pained expression on her face. Oddly enough, Susan was the only one who was doing something other than nothing. She was helping Mrs. Beaver pack food quickly, much to the impatience of Mr. Beaver. "We've got to get going, we don't have time to pack food," he said irritably. "And you three, why aren't you doing anything?"

That shook me out of my dazed state, and I quickly grabbed the coats and handed them out to everyone. Lucy got up and began to help Susan and Mrs. Beaver. "We don't have time for this!" Mr. Beaver hissed.

"We've got to have some food," Mrs. Beaver insisted.

"But the witch is gonna be here any minute now!" Mr. Beaver exclaimed.

"We can't starve!" Mrs. Beaver said. "Now then. Susan, hand me the strawberry jam in that cupboard over there. Lucy, be a dear and hand me the bread knife, would you?"

"The bread knife? We don't need the bread knife!" Mr. Beaver shouted.

"You never know what you might need until you need it," Mrs. Beaver replied calmly. "Now then. I think that's everything."

"And just in time, too," Peter said. In the distance we could hear the howls of many wolves coming towards us.

"The secret police," Mr. Beaver said. "Quick now, there's a passage over here that will get us pretty far away." As he spoke, he pushed a lever that was hidden from view by a curtain and a portion of the wall opened up. Mr. Beaver went first, followed by Susan, then Lucy, then Mrs. Beaver, then me, and finally Peter brought up the rear. He shut the secret door and we hurried through the passage as fast as we could. The passage was low and narrow, making it difficult for us to move as quickly as we wanted to move. I could faintly hear wolves howling in the distance. "Faster," Mr. Beaver panted, and we tried to move a little faster. I kept bumping my head on the roof of the tunnel, for even though I was small I had to bend over to move through the passage. Peter was having an even more difficult time of things, being at least six inches taller than me. Then the passage started to incline upwards and before I knew it we were out of the tunnel and in a clearing in the woods. I breathed in the clear winter night air and looked around at our surroundings, noticing that there were several stone statues of animals sitting around a stone table.

"Is this the Stone Table?" I wondered aloud.

No one answered me, however. Mr. Beaver padded softly over to a statue of a badger and put one hand - I mean, paw - on its shoulders. "He was my best mate," he said sadly. I realized in an instance that the badger must have been the one Mrs. Beaver had referred to earlier, and somehow he had been turned into stone. Mrs. Beaver drew close to her mate and gently laid a paw on his shoulder in sympathy.

"Who did this?" Peter asked.

"The White Witch," an unfamiliar voice replied, and we all jumped. We turned to see a fox nearby. "She turned them all to stone when they wouldn't give her information on Aslan's whereabouts."

"How do we know you aren't working for her as well?" Peter asked warily.

"I suppose you can't know that for sure, your majesty," the fox said. "But you need to listen to me now or else you won't make it out of here alive. Her Secret Police are on your trail and unless you let me help you, you'll never make it to Aslan."

We could hear wolves howling close by. Peter hesitated for a brief second and then asked, "What do you suggest we do?"

Less than two minutes later, I was sitting high up in a tree with the two beavers and the three Pevensies while the fox covered our tracks below. Less than thirty seconds after we had gotten settled in the tree, the wolves burst out of the very passage we had just used to escape the Beavers' dam. "Ah, Maugrim," the fox said. "What brings you to these part of the woods?"

"You know why we're here," one of the wolves sneered. "We came to find the humans. Maybe you can help us?"

"Humans! I haven't seen any of those around here," the fox said. Another of the wolves leapt onto the fox and bit his shoulder. I gasped and grabbed onto Peter before I fell off the tree. Peter steadied me and kept his arm around my waist while he held Lucy with his other arm.

"Tell us where they went," Maugrim demanded.

The fox hesitated and then said, "North. They went North."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Maugrim taunted, and then the pack of wolves leapt off in the opposite direction that we (I hoped) were travelling.

No sooner than the wolves had disappeared did the fox collapse to the ground. I scrambled down from the tree, tearing my skirt on the way down, but I didn't care. I ran over to the fox and examined the wound. Fortunately, it wasn't a bad one, but it would need treated. Mrs. Beaver reached us a moment after I had gotten to the fox. "I'll get that taken care of," Mrs. Beaver said. "I don't suppose we've got anything we could use for bandages?"

I looked down at my torn skirt. "Here, we can use some of this," I said, ripping off part of the torn fabric and giving it to Mrs. Beaver. This made my skirt rather short in that area, but I used my coat to cover my exposed leg. Mrs. Beaver took the fabric from me and wrapped it around the fox's wound as he hissed and squirmed.

"You're worse than Beaver on bath day," Mrs. Beaver scolded. I smiled at that. "There you are. It should heal quickly."

"Thank you, madam," the fox said gallantly, standing up. "And now I must be off."

"So soon? You're wounded," I said anxiously.

"I must report back to Aslan, milady," the fox said. "He's sent me to find troops for our Majesties' army."

"You've seen Aslan?" Mr. Beaver exclaimed, accidentally extinguishing the fire he was building in his excitement.

"Aye, that I have," the fox said.

"What's he like?" Mrs. Beaver asked excitedly.

"He's like," the fox began and then stopped, seemingly unable to find words to describe Aslan. "He's better than all that we've heard him to be." I shivered involuntarily at this and looked at the others. They all seemed to be feeling the same thing I was feeling, a sense of fascination by this Aslan.

"Will you be all right?" Lucy's voice broke through my thoughts.

"I shall indeed, your Majesty," the fox said, sweeping a bow to Lucy. He turned to Peter and Susan. "Your majesties, it was an honor to meet you." Then he turned to me. "And you, Daughter of Eve," he said. "It has been an honor to meet you as well." Lastly he turned to the Beavers and said, "Thank you, good and noble Beavers for bringing our rulers to Aslan in safety."

"But we've lost one of them to the Witch," Mrs. Beaver said.

"He, too, shall come to Aslan in his own time," the fox said, and with that he turned and leapt off into the dark forest, leaving us slightly dazed and hopeful at his last words to us.

There wasn't much time, however, to dwell on such things, for it was getting colder by the minute and we still hadn't completed building a fire. Fortunately, it didn't take Peter and Mr. Beaver to finish the fire, and we sat around it and ate some bread with a little of the strawberry jam Mrs. Beaver had brought. After that we were all very tired, so we went to bed, with Mr. Beaver taking the first watch. I fell asleep very quickly, but only to dream of the London bombings again.

_I saw a distraught Mrs. Andrews out of the corner of my eye. "Gone," she sobbed violently. "Gone."_

_"I know, your house is gone," Mum said soothingly, wrapping a comforting arm around Mrs. Andrew's shoulders. "I'm so sorry."_

_"No," Mrs. Andrews said, looking at us with wild eyes. "K-Kate's gone."_

_I felt a coldness in the pit of my stomach. "Wasn't she in the bomb shelter with you?" I asked. _

_Mrs. Andrews shook her head and turned to me, utter panic and despair in her eyes. "She went back to the house to get something."_

_"No," I whispered and looked at the pile of rubble that my best friend lay dead underneath. Mum tried to comfort me, but I broke away. "No," I cried out, heartsick with the horrific fact that I had lost my best friend. I ran from the scene, desperate to get away from the pile of bricks that held captive so many dear memories as well as my best friend. I missed her so much I could almost hear her calling my name. "Sophie."_

"Sophie," I heard Peter's voice, and felt him shaking me awake. "You're having a nightmare. Sophie!"

I sat straight up, shaking and breathing heavily. "I'm sorry," I said, turning to Peter, who still had his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't be sorry," Peter said softly as he took his hand from my shoulder. "I'm sorry you were having a nightmare."

"I hate them," I said, blinking away tears. I hated to cry, and I especially hated to cry in front of people.

"I know," Peter said. "I mean, I hate nightmares, too."

I smiled wanly. "I don't think anybody likes nightmares."

"What was it about?" Peter asked after a moment.

"The bombings," I said, reluctant to even tell him that.

"Was your house bombed too?" Peter asked.

I nodded. "Three months ago," I said. "My neighbor's house was bombed that night as well."

"Was everyone all right?" Peter asked.

I shook my head. "No," I whispered. "My - my best friend, Kate. She..." and with that I began to cry. Peter put an arm around me and let me cry into his shoulder as I wept for Kate, something which I hadn't been able to bring myself to do until that moment. Completely forgetting myself and the fact that I barely even knew Peter, I clung to him and sobbed into his chest as my heart ached from losing my dearest friend, the girl who was like a sister to me. Several minutes passed before I was able to calm down and let go of Peter, whose shirt was now very damp from my tears. "I'm sorry," I said again.

"It's all right," Peter said, looking me in the eyes. "I'm sorry for what you've gone through. I - I can't imagine what it would be like to lose someone I love."

"Thank you," I whispered.

Peter nodded and smiled at me. "I think we should probably get some sleep now," he said.

"You're right," I said, laying back down and facing the dying embers of the fire. Peter got up and lay down a few feet away from me, wrapping himself up in his coat. I wanted to say something else in thanks to Peter, but before I could do so, my eyes closed on their own accord and I fell asleep.

There were no more night terrors after that.

_**Awww Peter's the best, isn't he? :)**_

_**Also, in answer to sarahwood, a chapter from Edmund's POV would certainly be interesting, wouldn't it? I don't think I would do a full chapter from his POV, but perhaps I will devote half a chapter to what he's been up to while the others are travelling to Aslan's camp. **_

_**Review please! I'd like some new reviewers as well... **_

_**~ the authoress**_


	8. Father Christmas

Chapter 8: Father Christmas

Mr. Beaver woke us all up early the next morning. "We've got to reach the Stone Table today," he said. "It's a good day's walk from here and we'll be wanting to get there before nightfall." I heartily agreed with him. I, for one, did _not_ want to spend another night out in the cold where the Witch's men could attack us at any moment. With Aslan we would at the very least be safe from the Witch. Mrs. Beaver gave us breakfast, which consisted of cold ham and bread, and then we set out on our journey to the Stone Table.

We walked a long time through the forest before we reached a large plain covered with snow. "We'll have to be careful here," Mr. Beaver said.

"It would be easy for them to catch sight of us out here," Peter said.

Mr. Beaver looked at Peter approvingly. "You're absolutely right," he said. "This is why we need to get across here as quickly as possible."

The other side of the forest was far across the plain, so far that the treeline was nearly impossible to see. In fact, it took us the better part of an hour to even reach halfway across, where there was a couple trees. We sat down underneath them to eat lunch, as we were all tired from our long journey. "After we reach the woods on the other side, it won't be far to the Great River," Mr. Beaver said. "We'll cross the river near the waterfall and then from there it's only a short distance to the Stone Table."

"So then we shall get there today?" I asked hopefully.

"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't," Mr. Beaver said.

We finished up lunch quickly, for although we were near trees we were still out in the open and could easily be seen. Once we got to the other side of the plain we would be better concealed. The plain seemed endless, though, and my feet ached from walking so much. Brown Oxford boots were sturdy, but not necessarily the best thing to travel across a snowy plain. The Pevensies were all having the same problems as me. Lucy was falling so far behind at one point that Peter picked her up and put her on his back so that she could have a rest. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were having no troubles with the long journey, however, for they did not have human feet and could just pad along on top of the snow without any problem. They also did not seem to realize that our feet _were_ hurting, and it was because of this that Mr. Beaver kept calling back to us, "Hurry up! At the rate you slowpokes are going we'll never reach the Stone Table by nightfall!"

"If he says that one more time, I'm going to turn him into a big, fluffy hat," Peter said under his breath to us at one point, when we were nearing the forest.

"I heard that!" Mr. Beaver said.

At that moment, however, we heard a sound none of us wished to hear, the sound of jingling sleigh bells. All six of us froze in our tracks for a moment and looked behind us to see far off in the distance a sleigh pulled by reindeer. "It's the Witch," Mrs. Beaver gasped.

"Run!" Mr. Beaver shouted at us.

We began to run as fast as we could through the thick snow. A few times I almost tripped and fell over my coat, but I managed to steady myself, ignoring my aching feet as I pressed on. We drew closer and closer to the edge of the forest, where we could surely find some place to hide from the Witch. Finally we reached the woods and soon stumbled underneath a hollow underneath a small hill covered with bushes. There we sat in silence, listening as the sound of jingling stopped right above us. The sound of footsteps crunched as the one responsible for the sounds walked right over our heads and then back again. Then there was complete silence. "I'll go out and see if the coast is clear," Mr. Beaver whispered.

"Be careful," Mrs. Beaver implored.

"I will, darling," Mr. Beaver promised, and then disappeared from our sight.

We listened in vain for a sound, but heard nothing. "You don't think he's caught, do you?" I whispered to Peter, who was huddled next to me. Peter shrugged his shoulders in response. A few more moments passed by in silence. Then -

"It's all right!" Mr. Beaver's head popped out from the bushes, causing us all to jump in fright and Lucy to shriek. "Everything's all right!" Mr. Beaver repeated. "Come out, we've got a visitor, and you'll never guess who it is!"

"Should we go?" I asked Peter.

"I think so," Peter said.

Peter led the way out of the hollow, with the rest of us following closely behind. Much to my surprise, when we reached the top of the hill there stood a tall, jolly man dressed in red standing next to a sleigh with a large pack inside it. "Is that who I think it is?" I whispered to Susan.

"You're Father Christmas!" Lucy blurted out.

"Indeed I am," the man said in a deep, ringing voice. "Your majesties, it is an honor to meet you."

"I thought Christmas never came here," I said in confusion.

"It hasn't, not for a hundred years," Father Christmas said. "But now that you have come to Narnia, it has come. The Witch's spell is weakening and soon spring will come."

"We haven't had spring in a long time," Mrs. Beaver sighed.

"And now we shall," Father Christmas said solemnly. "First, however, before I send you on your way to Aslan, gifts for all of you!"

"Presents!" Lucy exclaimed in excitement.

Father Christmas chuckled. "These are not ordinary presents, however," he said. First he brought out from his pack a sword and shield, which he presented to Peter. "Your Majesty, these are tools, not toys. The time to use them will come sooner than you think."

"Thank you," Peter said, gazing at his sword and shield.

Next he presented a bow with a quiver of arrows and a small horn to Susan. "With this bow you will find it hard to miss your target," he said. "When you blow this horn in times of great need, help will come to you wherever you are."

"Thank you," Susan said, taking her gifts in hand.

Then Father Christmas brought out a small vial of some red liquid and a small dagger. These he presented to Lucy. "My dear, in this cordial is drops of the fire-flower, which are only found on stars. One drop of this will cure any ailment or wound, short of death. As for this dagger, use this to protect yourself, though you shall not be in the battle against the Witch."

"I think I could be brave enough," Lucy said as she took the gifts from Father Christmas.

"Wars are no sight for women," Father Christmas said gently. Then he turned to his pack and brought out a dark blue cloak, which he brought to me. "When you wear this cloak, you shall be invisible to all creatures, but only if the hood is covering your head. Use this only in times of grave danger however, milady, for to use it at any other time is to use it unwisely."

"Thank you," I said, taking the cloak and running my hands over the material. It was a soft material almost like velvet in texture, but however it was light as silk. I felt privileged to have received such a gift.

Father Christmas then turned to the Beavers. "When you arrive back home, Mr. Beaver, you will find that your dam is all fixed up with a new sluice gate fitted in."

Mr. Beaver was rendered speechless for a moment. "T-thank you!" he managed to stammer out after a moment.

"A new sewing machine for you, Mrs. Beaver, will also be waiting at home," Father Christmas said.

"Oh! Thank you!" Mrs. Beaver said, pleased.

"And now I must leave you," Father Christmas said, climbing into his sleigh. "Merry Christmas! For Narnia, and for Aslan!" he bellowed joyfully as he cracked his whip, causing the reindeer to draw the sleigh away quickly.

"Well, I hate to hurry us on so quickly, but we need to get moving again," Mr. Beaver said. "We'll be at the Stone Table soon enough, though. It's only a short way to the Great River, and after we cross that it's only a bit of a hike to the Stone Table."

"Are you excited to meet Aslan?" I asked Peter as we began to walk.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Peter said. "I know he's the only one who can help us get Ed back. But - "

"But?" I prompted him.

"But Aslan will have me and my siblings become the rulers of Narnia," Peter said. "I don't think I would be a very good king."

"I think that you will make a wonderful king," I said.

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Yes," I said emphatically. "Also, think of it this way. At least you have a purpose as to why you're here. I don't even know why I've been brought here."

"That is true," Peter said. "Maybe Aslan will tell you when we reach the Stone Table."

"Maybe," I said, shrugging. I hoped very much that Aslan would tell me the reason why I had been brought to Narnia, but logic was telling me that he would most likely be too busy with preparations for the battle against the Witch to tell me what my purpose was. Instead of keeping going with that part of the conversation, I turned to Peter and said, "Really, though, Peter. I do think you're going to be a wonderful king."

Peter looked over at me and smiled. "That means a lot, Sophie," he said. "And as for whatever your purpose is, I think that you will do it the same way as you do everything else."

"And what would that be?" I asked curiously.

"With nothing but kindness and love," was Peter's answer.

_**And there you go. Please please please review! I've said it before, but I'll say it again: the more reviews I get, the more inspired I feel to write! ~ the authoress**_


	9. Aslan

Chapter 9: Aslan

Mr. Beaver was right; it was only a short distance to the Great River. When we reached the river, it became obvious why it was called the Great River. Indeed the name lacked in originality, but it was a suitable name for the river. The river was very wide with a huge waterfall like nothing I'd ever seen before in my life, except for pictures. Furthermore the entire river was completely frozen over, creating the most beautiful scene I had ever seen.

Something was wrong, however. I sensed this as we came to the edge of the river. The others sensed it too, for all of us were looking around nervously to see if there were any of the Witch's Secret Police around. None were to be seen however, and so Peter stepped onto the ice, which suddenly cracked under his weight. I was a little confused for a moment as to why it might be cracking when I suddenly noticed the air was a little warmer and there was some dripping from the snow and icicles on the trees as they slowly melted from the warmer air. "Spring's coming," I said. "Just as Father Christmas said."

"Indeed it is, which means we have to get across this river now," Mr. Beaver said urgently. Peter stepped back out onto the ice and this time it did not crack underneath his weight. Susan followed him hesitantly, and soon we were all on the ice. We had only gotten a few feet across on the ice when we heard snarling and growling behind us. Whirling around, I saw Maugrim and Secret Police behind us. Peter drew his sword when he saw them and stepped forward in an effort to protect the rest of us. "Drop your sword, boy," Maugrim taunted.

I heard an ominous, groaning noise from nearby and looked towards the waterfall. Water was beginning to spray out of some cracks in the ice and I knew that the ice would be cracking and falling possibly within the next few minutes, which meant we needed to get across now. "Peter, the ice," I said, tapping his shoulder.

Peter looked up to see pieces of ice fall off the waterfall, causing more water to burst out. "Hold on to my coat!" he told Lucy, Susan, and I. We grabbed onto his coat as he plunged his sword into the ice, just as the rest of the ice on the waterfall shatter, setting the water trapped inside free. I shut my eyes tightly and gripped Peter's arm as the chunk of ice we stood on was carried forward by the large waves that were created by the falling ice from the waterfall. Somehow Peter managed to get us to shore safely in spite of the waves, swift current, and chunks of ice floating all around us. I climbed wearily ashore, completely soaked to the bone. I hoped desperately that none of us would freeze to death as a result of this. That worry was replaced by a bigger worry, however, when I heard Peter say, "Where's Lucy?"

Looking around, I saw both of the Beavers shaking the water off their fur, Susan wringing her wet coat like a dishtowel, and Peter frantically looking around - but there was no Lucy. My heart sank into my stomach as I realized she was not with us. "Lucy!" I shouted, terrified there would be no answer. "Lucy!"

Susan, too, was petrified. "Lucy!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"I'm right here!" Lucy's voice came from behind us. Turning around, I saw her walking towards us from farther down the river. She had lost her coat and was pulling her wet cardigan together in the front in an attempt to keep warm.

"Lucy!" Peter exclaimed, and tenderly gathered his sister in his arms. "Don't scare us like that, okay?" Peter said as he held her close.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said apologetically, and then stepped back. "I think I lost my coat, too."

"I don't think you'll be needing those coats much longer," Mrs. Beaver cut in with a smile.

I stood up and looked around me, noticing that the air had grown significantly warmer within the past few minutes, that the trees had small buds on the tips of their branches, and there were small flowers blooming in the warm sun. "It's spring," I said, smiling.

"We'd better get a move on," Mr. Beaver said. "The Stone Table is only about an hour's walk from here."

The journey from the Great River to the Stone Table was by far the most enjoyable bit of time I had spent in Narnia so far. Spring was coming at a rapid rate, and all around us the snow was melting quickly under the heat of the warm sun. Birds were chirping merrily in the trees, which were budding with small blossoms and leaves. We left our coats on a small boulder near a creek no more than fifteen minutes after we had left the Great River. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver led the way in front, with Susan and Lucy behind them and Peter and me bringing up the rear. We walked in silence for most of the time, as we were very tired from our long journey so far. I carried my invisibility cloak in my arms, afraid to wear it even though Father Christmas had told me that I would only be invisible if I wore the hood over my head.

I was also worried about meeting Aslan. He was sure to be very busy when we arrived, what with the Pevensies' army and the White Witch and all that. Would he really have time to tell insignificant me for what purpose I had been brought to Narnia? As much as I wanted to believe that he would take the time to tell me, I sincerely doubted that he would have the time, even if he would like to.

Peter's voice broke into my worries and doubts. "Penny for your thoughts," he said.

I shrugged. "Just... you know, wondering what Aslan's going to be like."

"I'm a bit nervous to meet him too, if that's what you mean," Peter confessed.

I smiled a little at that. "That's not what it is," I said. "I'm not nervous to meet him, really."

"Then what is it?" Peter asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

I hesitated for a second. "Mrs. Beaver said that Aslan would tell me why I was brought to Narnia, but I doubt he will. He'll most likely be too busy to tell me; after all I'm not anyone significant. You and your siblings are important - you four are to be Narnia's rulers. Then there's me..." I trailed off, feeling slightly awkward.

"Sophie," Peter said. I looked up at him, wondering what he would say. "You're not insignificant."

I bit my lip. "I've always thought so," I said, sighing a little. "I'm the girl who tries to be friends with the people everyone likes, but ends up feeling ignored and awkward. I'm always picked last for things because I'm not athletic, and people don't really pay that much attention to me. How does that not make me insignificant? The only people who ever really paid attention to me were my parents and - and Kate, and she's _dead." _I choked out the last few words, feeling an empty ache in my heart from missing Kate so much.

"You're significant to the people who matter most," Peter said quietly.

I'd never really thought of it that way before. Peter was right, as I thought about what he said. My parents and Kate were the people who mattered the most to me in life and they did truly care about me. "I suppose you're right," I said, unable to find any other words. I still was worried Aslan wouldn't tell me why I was in Narnia, however.

"I think Aslan will tell you your purpose as well," Peter said, seeming to sense my thoughts. "From what the Beavers, and the Fox, and Father Christmas have told us about him, I would be shocked if he didn't tell you why you've been brought here."

"I hope you're right," I said.

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but before he could say anything, Mr. Beaver shouted to the back, "Look! Aslan's camp is up ahead!"

We were coming out of the forest to a beautiful grassy meadow. Up in the distance near some hills were scattered many red and gold tents, and strange creatures seemed to be bustling around up there. The sound of clanging metal and fires sizzling in the distance filled the air. I felt shivers run up and down my spine, knowing that in a few minutes I would meet Aslan. I felt Peter take my hand in his and looked up at him. "It's going to be all right, Sophie," he said, squeezing my hand slightly.

I was grateful for Peter's hand in mine, as I began to shake a little. I didn't quite know why I felt so nervous and anxious about meeting Aslan, but I was and I'm sure if Peter hadn't been holding my hand I would've been shaking even more. We made our way up towards Aslan's camp, and soon we were walking among the red and gold tents as centaurs, fauns, and dwarves looked at us curiously and even began to follow us. We reached the last tent, which was up on a small hill and was much larger than the rest of the tents. I instantly assumed this was Aslan's tent. A centaur stood near the tent, and Peter called out to him, "We have come to see Aslan."

There was a hush over the crowd and I looked towards the tent. I caught my breath as a magnificent, golden lion slowly padded out of the tent and over towards us. Everyone around us knelt upon the sight of him and so we followed suit. The lion - Aslan - spoke in a deep, warm voice that was nothing like anything I had ever heard before. "Rise, Peter, Son of Adam; and you too, Susan, Lucy, and Sophie, Daughters of Eve. And rise, Beavers. I thank you for bringing our rulers here safely. But - there was another Son of Adam."

"He was taken by the Witch, Sir," Peter said.

"How was this?" Aslan asked gravely.

"He - betrayed them, sire," Mr. Beaver said.

"Betrayed?" Aslan said.

"Then he has betrayed us all!" the centaur up by Aslan spoke angrily.

"Peace, Oreius," Aslan said gravely. Then he turned back to Peter. "How did this happen?"

"It's my fault, Sir. I - I was too hard on him," Peter admitted.

"What's done is done," Aslan said.

"Can you help us get him back?" Lucy asked.

"We shall get your brother back from the Witch, Daughter of Eve," Aslan said kindly. "Oreius, take some men and go to the Witch's camp. Bring back the other Son of Adam with you."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Oreius said, bowing. He then raced off with some other centaurs and fauns in the direction of the forest.

"You all will wish to rest, however," Aslan said. I then realized just how tired I was. "Serena will show you to your tent, Daughters of Eve, and you too, Beavers." We turned to leave, when Aslan said, "Peter, Son of Adam. I wish to speak with you alone."

Peter released my hand, which I realized with a little shock that he had still been holding and went with Aslan up to the top of the hill. Serena turned out to be a tigress with a low, silky-smooth voice. "Your tent is this way, miladies," she said, leading us to a tent nearby. "This will be where you stay, Daughters of Eve. Beavers, your lodgings are this way."

Serena left Lucy, Susan, and I standing in front of an ornate red and gold tent. Lucy went inside first, followed by Susan and lastly me. It was a cozy tent, with three hammocks strung up for us to sleep on and dresses hanging on another side of the tent. The grass was covered by a large rug and several large pillows lay about the floor. "I think this dress is mine," Lucy said, taking the smallest dress, a light blue dress in a medieval style, down from where it hung. Susan claimed a dark green dress with a brown belt, and this left me with a lavender dress with wide sleeves. We changed from our dirty England clothes and into the clean Narnian clothes, and then took turns brushing our hair with a brush that Lucy found near a pitcher of water and a basin.

I sank into a hammock, feeling fresh and clean for the first time in a couple days. "I like this place," I remarked.

"So do I," Lucy agreed.

"It's grown on me considerably," Susan said.

Lucy laughed. "And to think you wanted to go back," she said. Susan smiled wryly.

Just then, Peter poked his head through the tent. "Sophie, Aslan would like to see you on top of the hill," he said.

I felt a wave of nervousness wash over me. "All right," I said, getting up from the hammock and smoothing my dress anxiously. I walked out of the tent, and Peter grabbed my hand before I left. He didn't say anything, but I saw in his eyes he was hoping that I would finally know the reason why I had been brought to Narnia. Pushing aside my doubt, I, too, hoped that Aslan would give me an answer to this question.

**_Sorry it took a little longer to post this chapter! I had inspiration for a one shot featuring Jill and Eustace that I had to write down before I forgot any of it, so go check it out and review! Also, I would absolutely love some new reviewers - not that I don't appreciate the reviewers I have, really, I do! Thank you sarahwood and EgyLynx for faithfully reviewing this story, I really appreciate it! New reviewers would be absolutely lovely, however! ~ the authoress_**


	10. My Purpose - For Now

Chapter 10: My Purpose - For Now

I made my way up to the top of the hill, curious as to what Aslan wished to talk to me about and not wanting to get my hopes up in regards to if it had something to do with the reason I was brought to Narnia. When I reached the top of the hill, I saw Aslan at the edge of the steep side of the hill, looking out in the distance. "Come here, Daughter of Eve," he spoke. I walked towards him so I was standing next to him on the edge of the hill. "Sophie, Daughter of Eve," Aslan said. "You have a question for me."

I was struck dumb with astonishment. How did Aslan know - how could have he known that I wished to ask him why I had been brought to Narnia? "I - how did you know?" I asked incredulously.

Aslan chuckled a little. "I know all things, Daughter of Eve. I know you are from London, England and you lived there with your parents, Thomas and Mary Kensington. However, your home was destroyed by the Germans in a recent bombing, which also destroyed much of your neighborhood and killed many people including your dearest friend, Kate Andrews. A few months after this happened, your mother sent you along with hundreds of other children from London away to the countryside for safety. You were not placed in the home of a stranger, however, but in the home of an old family friend, Digory Kirke. Nor were you alone with Professor Kirke in his home, for the Pevensies too were sent to live with him. Then little Lucy discovered the entrance to this world through a wardrobe, and thus you all came here."

I was speechless by the time Aslan finished saying all this. "Did Peter tell you all that?" I asked warily after I found my voice again.

"No, he did not," Aslan said. "As I said before, I know all things. Now then. What is the question you have for me, Daughter of Eve?"

I hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Why am I here, Aslan?"

Aslan looked at me with his soft, terrible eyes and seemed to smile a little. "You have a purpose for being in Narnia, dear Sophie," he said, addressing me by only my name for the first time. "In time, you shall discover what this purpose is."

My heart sank. "But Aslan, couldn't I know now?"

"Patience, Daughter of Eve," Aslan said. "Now is not the time for you to know, but the time is coming when you shall know exactly what this purpose is. Until this time comes, however, your role is to be an advisor to the Pevensies when they become the Narnian monarchs."

"An advisor?" I asked. That was all I was to do for now until I discovered why I was brought here? To be an advisor to the Kings and Queens?

"Your kindness and wisdom will help the future monarchs in their years as rulers of Narnia," Aslan said. "All four of them need you, Daughter of Eve, more than any of you realize."

I stifled a sigh and nodded. "Yes, Aslan," I replied.

"Do not be disappointed, dear Sophie," Aslan said, seeming to know my thoughts. "You shall find out with time the true reason why you have been brought to Narnia. You are not ready to fully understand this reason, but with time and experience you shall know."

I nodded, suddenly feeling a little guilty over my disappointment. Here I had not even hoped that Aslan would speak to me on this matter privately, and yet he had. For this I was truly thankful, for I had gotten an answer even though it was not the answer I was hoping for. "Thank you, Aslan," I said gratefully. "Thank you for speaking to me on this."

"Of course, Daughter of Eve," Aslan said. "Now, go to the Pevensies. Edmund shall be returning shortly, but do not tell them this."

I felt a sudden gladness at hearing this. "Oh, Aslan!" I exclaimed, incredibly happy for the Pevensies that their brother would be coming back to them. "They will be so glad when he comes. Thank you, thank you!"

I curtsied awkwardly, nearly falling over my long skirt, and Aslan chuckled at my haste. I hurried off down the hill, hitching my skirt up so I could move faster. I rushed down the hill and through the camp to the tent I shared with Lucy and Susan. I poked my head inside, hoping to see the girls inside with Peter, just as I had left them. They were not, however, but there was a note on my hammock. I picked it up and saw it was from Susan. "Gone to the river to wash up," I read aloud. Just as I did so, I heard a long, rich note resounding through the camp. I frowned, wondering who was blowing a horn and why, when I realized that it was Susan's horn. "No," I gasped, knowing that something dreadful had happened. I grabbed my blue invisibility cloak and ran out of the tent towards the sound of the horn.

As I was running down to the river, I bumped right into Peter. "Go back to camp, Sophie," he said breathlessly as he began to run again.

"No, I'm coming with you!" I shouted after him, picking up my pace as well.

When we got down to the river, I was horrified to find Susan and Lucy up in a tree surrounded by the Secret Police. Peter unsheathed his sword as Maugrim turned around. "Drop your sword, boy," he rasped.

"Never," Peter said.

"You may think you're a king," Maugrim hissed in disgust, "but you're going to die like a dog!" As he said this he leapt straight at Peter, pinning him to the ground as Peter ran his sword through the wolf.

"Peter!" I screamed simultaneously with Lucy and Susan. The two girls jumped down from the tree as I ran to Peter, and the three of us managed to push the heavy wolf off Peter, who then sat up, looking dazed. Lucy and Susan fell on their brother as he held them close. I watched them, as I began to feel shaky and fought back tears. Peter released his sisters and then, to my surprise, pulled me into a hug. "I told you to stay back at camp," he murmured.

"Nothing happened to me," I protested, pulling back from the hug.

"Something could have," he argued. "I just - I want you to be safe, okay?"

"I know," I replied.

"Peter," Aslan rumbled as he padded down the bank to where we were. "Clean your sword." Peter did as Aslan asked, pulling his sword from Maugrim and wiping it clean on the grass. "Kneel, Peter," Aslan then commanded. Peter knelt before him, holding his sword out and downward into the grass. Aslan solemnly placed one paw on Peter's shoulder and said, "Rise, Sir Peter Wolf-bane, Knight of Narnia." Peter looked up at Aslan in surprise, and Aslan in turn nodded at Peter in affirmation. He then stood up slowly and proudly, and sheathed his sword.

My eyes widened and I beamed. "A knight!" I said delightedly.

"Oh, Peter!" Lucy exclaimed, throwing her arms around Peter's neck. "A real knight! Does that make me a lady, since you're my brother?"

Peter laughed. "Soon you'll be a queen," he said, "so I think that makes you a lady now."

Susan also offered her congratulations, and the four of us walked back to camp. "I feel a little safer now that Peter's a knight," I joked.

"Really? I don't!" Susan laughed.

"Hey!" Peter exclaimed, but we all knew Susan was jesting.

"Knight or not, you're still the same brother as before," Susan said, offering an explanation.

"The same wonderful brother who you just couldn't live without," Peter said.

"I think that's saying a bit much, Peter," Susan replied airily, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smile.

"A bit too much might even be an understatement," I added dryly.

"Everyone's against me!" Peter said, throwing up his hands in mock despair. We all laughed at that. It was good to laugh, for the past couple days had been so serious and full of danger at every turn. I felt light-hearted for the first time in a long time, although I knew - as did we all - that the battle against the Witch was still looming ahead. I did not want to think of such dreadful things at the moment, however. For now I was just content to be happy, even if the happiness would be short-lived.

**_I updated this one pretty quickly, didn't I? You guys probably thought I was going to reveal Sophie's reason for being in Narnia in this one, too. So sorry, but that's just going to have to come later. A lot later. (cue evil laughs)  
Review please!  
~the authoress_**


	11. Edmund's Return

Chapter 11: Edmund's Return

It wasn't long after we got back to camp that Edmund returned. Lucy saw him first, standing up on top of the hill with Aslan. "Edmund!" she exclaimed joyfully, rushing forward to meet him.

Peter caught her, however, before she got more than a few steps. "Wait," he said. "Let them be."

Lucy looked disappointed, but she nodded in understanding. Edmund and Aslan had heard her, however, and they both began to walk down the hill towards us. I held my breath, hoping that Edmund's reunion with his family would go smoothly. I knew for certain that Lucy and Susan would welcome him with open arms; and I knew Peter was glad that his brother was safe, but his temper could get the better of him at times - especially when it came to Edmund, as I had observed back in England.

"What's done is done," Aslan said gravely when the two of them had reached us. "There is no need to speak to Edmund about any of it." Then Aslan turned and walked away from us five.

Lucy was the first to greet Edmund, throwing her small arms around his waist. Edmund hesitated a moment and then returned his younger sister's embrace. I smiled, knowing that all had been forgiven between the two. Then Susan greeted Edmund with a hug, saying, "Are you all right?"

"I'm a little tired," Edmund admitted.

"Get some rest," Peter said roughly from behind Susan. Edmund looked up at Peter and back down at his feet, nodding and beginning to shuffle away. "And Edmund?" Peter called after him. Edmund turned around, a questioning look on his face. "Try not to run off again," Peter said, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards in a smile. Edmund grinned and I relaxed, knowing that things had been made right between the two brothers.

While Edmund rested, the other Pevensies and I sat down to eat dinner with the Beavers. We hadn't seen much of the Beavers since our arrival in Aslan's camp earlier that day. I could hardly believe that it was only that morning we had been hurrying through the snow, trying to reach Aslan's camp before the Witch or her men reached us. Now we were safe in Aslan's camp, even though it was only temporary.

"I'm glad your brother is safe," Mr. Beaver said. "Now the four of you can fulfill the prophecy."

"They already are fulfilling it, Beaver," Mrs. Beaver said. "Spring has come, after all!"

"Narnian spring is so much lovelier than spring in England," I remarked.

"You're absolutely right," Susan agreed.

"What's spring in - in England like?" Mr. Beaver asked curiously.

"Very damp," I said.

"And only a little less drearier than winter," Peter added.

"The flowers come out and the trees bud and blossom, but it rains so much," Lucy said.

"It rains a lot in general, back in England," I mused.

"Yes, it certainly does," Peter agreed.

"Well, I think that I'm going to go back to our lodging," Mrs. Beaver said, finishing off her dinner.

"I'll come with you, dear," Mr. Beaver said. "Then I want to go talk to that one dwarf - Krimpuck I believe his name was? Interesting fellow; he's one of the only dwarves that aren't on the Witch's side."

"Goodnight, then, if we don't see you until tomorrow," I said.

"Goodnight, all you dears," Mrs. Beaver said, smiling at us. Then she and Mrs. Beaver left, leaving the four of us by ourselves.

"I think I'm going to go start learning archery," Susan said, standing up and smoothing her dress. "I might as well learn how to use my gift."

"Can I come with you?" Lucy begged.

"I suppose so," Susan said. "Just stay out of the way; I don't want to hit you with any stray arrows."

"I promise I won't get in the way," Lucy said solemnly.

"Careful," Peter said. "Make sure you have your cordial with you, Lucy."

"It's right here," Lucy said, patting the belt she wore around her waist that held her healing cordial and her dagger.

"Good," Peter said. "I don't want you to be in any danger, either of you."

Susan nodded. "We'll be all right, Peter, really." Then the two girls left, leaving Peter and I alone.

"You're worried about them," I stated.

Peter looked over at me. "After what happened this afternoon - can you blame me?"

"No, I can't," I said. "They'll be all right, though. Susan's got her horn with her, and Lucy's got her healing cordial. _And_ they've both got weapons. Not to mention the fact that we're in the middle of an army encampment - _your_ army encampment."

"I suppose you're right," Peter sighed. "I just - I worry about them a lot. I don't want them to get hurt."

"I know," I said, nodding. There was silence between us for a few moments, and during that silence I decided that I wanted to go on a walk. "I think I'm going to go on a walk," I said, breaking the silence and standing up.

"Absolutely not," Peter said.

I arched one eyebrow in surprise and said, "Excuse me?"

"I'm not letting you go on a walk alone," Peter said. "It's too dangerous."

"Then I suppose you'll have to come with me," I said stubbornly, "because I fully intend to go on one."

Peter stared at me for a moment and then sighed. "All right, then. I suppose I shall, if you're that determined to go on one."

I grinned, reveling inside at my little victory. Peter got up from where he sat and the two of us began to amble quietly down through the grassy meadow near the training grounds. "I'm glad Edmund's back," I said softly.

"So am I," Peter said. "He was an idiot for what he did - but it's such a relief to have him back with us."

"Now the four of you can defeat the Witch and take your places as the Kings and Queens of Narnia," I said.

"Yes," Peter said gravely. "But Sophie, I'm still so unsure of things."

"With time you'll become sure of things," I said, remembering the conversation I had with Aslan earlier. "You and your siblings are going to be marvelous Kings and Queens, though. That I am certain of."

"Thanks for your support," Peter said. "You're - you're a brick, Sophie, you know that?"

I blushed deeply at the compliment. "Thanks," I muttered, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Really, you are," Peter said. "You're steadfast, and kind, and very supportive. I don't know what or even if Aslan told you your purpose for being in Narnia was, but whatever it is, you're going to be wonderful at doing it."

"I hope you're right," I sighed.

There was a moment of silence, and then Peter spoke. "Did - did Aslan ever tell you why you were brought to Narnia?"

"Not exactly," I said.

"What?" Peter asked in confusion.

"He told me that now is not the time for me to know why I have been brought to Narnia," I replied slowly, "but he _did_ tell me that I've got a role to play for now, until I've learned what my true purpose is."

"What's that?" Peter queried.

"I'm to be an advisor to you four," I said. "Aslan told me that you four would need guidance, especially in your early years as monarchs, and I'm supposed to help you, though goodness knows I don't know how."

Peter nodded. "I see," he said. "That does make a lot of sense. And truth be told, I can't think of anybody I'd rather have advise me - I mean, us - I mean... you know."

I laughed gently. "I know," I responded, and continued on boldly yet awkwardly with, "And I can't think of anybody else I'd rather advise, though I'm going to be pretty awful at it."

"We'll get through all this together," Peter said assuredly, taking my hand in his and gently squeezing it. I looked up at him and smiled, not letting go of his hand as we continued on our walk together around the training field and back to Aslan's camp. The sun had nearly set when we reached the tent I shared with Susan and Lucy. "Well, I suppose I must bid thee goodnight, milady," Peter said gallantly, raising my hand to his lips and kissing it. "Until tomorrow then?"

"Of course, good Sir," I replied, giggling a little at Peter's sudden chivalry. "And a good night to you as well."

Peter let go of my hand and I went into the tent, smiling at the lovely evening I'd just spent with Peter. Lucy's mischievous voice shook me out of my reverie. "Did you have fun with Peter, Sophie?"

"Ah, yes, Sophie," Susan added, her eyes sparkling. "Did the two of you have a nice walk?"

"Of course we did," I replied, blushing a little. "I'm rather tired now, though. I think I'm going to go to bed, if that's all right with the two of you?"

"I suppose," Susan said, a little disappointedly.

I changed from my lavender gown into a thin white nightgown that was lying on my hammock, most likely left there earlier by Serena. Yawning, I climbed into the hammock and pulled the blanket over me, suddenly finding myself utterly exhausted from the day's events. I was just about to sink into blissful slumber when -

"Sophie? Are you awake yet?" Lucy's adorable voice cut through the silence.

"Mmm," I mumbled.

"Did Peter kiss you?" she asked.

I sat straight up in my hammock. "Lucy! Of course not!" I exclaimed in near outrage. "Your brother and I are _just_ friends!"

Lucy and Susan, who were both getting ready for bed, burst out into peals of laughter at my outburst. "Goodnight, Sophie," Susan said through her giggles.

"Ugh," I groaned, laying back down and pulling the covers over my head. I began to wonder a little though. Peter was acting a little more than friendly towards me - especially with him taking my hand in his and holding it through almost our entire walk. I hadn't minded that one bit, I realized with a little shock. Could it be that I was falling for Peter Pevensie, a boy I'd only know for about two weeks so far? Unable to sort out my thoughts properly, I finally pushed them aside and fell into a deep slumber, a slumber in which for the first time in a long time, I did not dream about the bombings in London but of a castle by the sea, a golden-haired boy, and the kisses he gave me. For the first time in a long time, I slept calmly.

_**A lot of this chapter was pure fluff, I know, but I couldn't help myself! Also, another chapter up so quickly! This story has really been coming along faster than I expected it to, and hopefully it will stay this way!  
Review please!  
~ The authoress**_


	12. A Deal with the Witch

Chapter 12: A Deal with the Witch

I woke up the next morning and stretched, still exhausted from the day before. "Sophie! You're up!" Lucy said cheerfully.

"Ugh," I groaned, attempting to roll over onto my stomach with little success, as I was in a hammock. "I don't want to get up."

"I'm sure you don't," Susan said, "especially if your limbs are aching as badly as mine."

"They hurt," I mumbled into my pillow.

"Mine do, too," Susan said. "Breakfast will be soon, though. You'd better get up."

Reluctantly, I slowly got out of the hammock, feeling an ache in every bone in my body. I got my lavender dress down from where it hung and changed out of my nightgown into the dress. Then Susan braided my auburn hair into two long braids and pinned them elegantly around my head. She also had some leftover sprigs of white forget-me-nots that she'd woven into Lucy's braids, so she wove them into the crown of braids. "You look lovely," Susan said after she'd finished.

"Thank you," I said. "Now let's go to breakfast; I'm starved."

The three of us came out of our tent into the brilliant sunshine of a warm spring day. "I wonder what's for breakfast," Lucy said as we rounded the corner to the space between our tent and the boys' tent, where breakfast had been set out for us. Peter and Edmund were already there, Peter standing by a tent pole and Edmund sitting down at the table.

"We waited for you to eat," Peter said.

"Why thank you, dear brother of mine," Susan said, sitting down at the table. Lucy sat down by Edmund, and I sat in between the two girls. A dryad brought plates of poached eggs, sausage, and toast to the low table we sat at. Edmund immediately began to eat his fill of light, buttered toast.

"Narnia's not going to run out of toast, Ed," Lucy joked.

Edmund smiled, but did not slow down eating.

"We should take some for the journey back," Peter said.

I whirled around. "Journey?"

"Back?" Susan said, confused.

"Why?" Edmund asked.

"We can't just leave now, Peter," Lucy protested.

"It's too dangerous here," Peter said, coming over to the table and sitting down between Susan and me. "I promised Mum I'd keep you safe."

"That promise just so happens to exclude me, which is why _I'm _staying," I said stubbornly.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Sophie?" Peter groaned. "I think you should come back with us."

"Hang on, I never said I was going to listen to you," Edmund said.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked coldly.

"I mean that we can't just leave now!" Edmund exclaimed.

"And what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, it's too dangerous!" Peter insisted. "You almost drowned, and Edmund was almost killed!"

"Which is why we have to stay," Edmund argued. "I've seen what the Witch can do, Pete. We have to stop her."

There was a heavy silence for a few moments in which no one spoke or uttered a sound. Then Susan stood up. "Well, I guess that's it, then," she said, walking over to where she had hung her bow and quiver of arrows the night before.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

"To get in some practice," Susan said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly in the ghost of a smile.

"I'm coming with you!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up and almost knocking the table over in her excitement. "I'll practice throwing my dagger!"

We all laughed at Lucy's excitement. "In that case, I'm going to ask Oreius to teach me how to swordfight," Peter said, standing up reluctantly.

"So will I," Edmund said, nodding in agreement. "What about you, Sophie?"

"I've never been good at athletics," I said hesitantly. "I've got my invisibility cloak, but I suppose that's not enough of a weapon."

"No, I don't think it is," Peter said. "Especially since Father Christmas said you shouldn't use it except for in times of great need."

"Then I think I'll go with the girls and learn archery," I said.

So it was that only a few short minutes later I found myself with a bow in hand and a quiver of arrows slung over my back. "Don't worry, Sophie; I haven't really done archery myself, except for a little bit in gym at school," Susan said.

"I've never done it at all," I admitted. "I don't think I'll be very good at it."

"Just try," Susan said encouragingly.

So I did, and I don't think I could have done any worse at it. Even though I was able to string the arrow onto the bow and release it, the arrow went into the ground only a few feet away from me. "I don't think that's right," I said, biting my lip.

"Er - no," Susan said. "Here, watch how I do it."

I watched as Susan placed an arrow to the bowstring, drew back, and released, sending the arrow flying gracefully into the outer ring of the target. She frowned, obviously not happy with the way the arrow flew. "Well, that's better than how I did," I said, trying to be encouraging.

Suddenly a dagger flew through the air and landed straight in the bullseye. We turned to Lucy, who was giggling. "That's not fair," Susan exclaimed.

We stopped practicing for a moment as Peter and Edmund galloped nearby on their horses, swinging their swords at each other. "Keep the blade up, Ed," Peter shouted to Edmund, "just like Oreius told us!"

We stood and watched the boys practice their swordfighting, and I couldn't help but notice how much more Peter looked like a young man than a boy with sword in hand. I kept my eyes on him, admiring the way the sun glinted off his golden hair and - I shook my head. Peter and I were merely friends for now. I would not let myself fall for a boy I'd known less than two weeks.

Fortunately, at that moment Mr. Beaver came scurrying through the grass and up to Edmund's horse, who reared upwards and nearly threw Edmund off. "Woah, boy!" Edmund exclaimed.

"My name is Phillip," the horse grunted.

"Oh!" Edmund said in surprise, obviously not realizing that the horse was a Talking Horse. "Sorry." The rest of us snickered at Edmund's mistake, but our laughter was short-lived.

"The Witch," Mr. Beaver panted. "The Witch is here, at Aslan's camp. She's got a message for him!"

I suddenly felt cold all over, although the day was warm, as I realized it would now only be a matter of time until the battle against the Witch. "I suppose we should go back to camp," I said impassively.

"We'll meet you back there," Peter said somberly, and he and Edmund began to ride back.

The walk back to camp was a silent one. I didn't know what was running through Susan or Lucy's head, but all I could think of was that the Witch would want to take back Edmund and a bloody fight would break out as a result. _That family just reunited_, I thought. _Why? Why must this happen? Why can't they be together and happy without anyone interfering?_

We arrived back at camp just in time to see the Witch arrive. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but her beauty was cold and unsettling. Her tight blonde curls were gathered up on top of her head and stiffened to a point. Her dress was white and also stiff, and she walked in a chilly but regal manner. She glared briefly at Edmund as she passed us, but her attention was focused on Aslan, who stood on the lower part of the hill outside of his tent, just as he had when we met him.

"You have a traitor in your midst, Aslan." Even her voice was ice-cold, and I shivered.

"His offense was not against you," Aslan replied evenly.

"Even so," the Witch continued, "the Law gives me right to the blood of traitors."

"Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch," Aslan said. "I was there when it was written."

"Then you are aware that the boy belongs to me? His blood is my property," the Witch said, almost triumphantly.

"Try and take him then," Peter said, unsheathing his sword and stepping out into the path the Witch stood upon.

"Do you think that mere force will deny me my right, Little King?" she said condescendingly. Peter bit his lip and stepped backwards. Then she turned to the crowd that had gathered behind her. "If I don't have blood, as the Law demands, all of Narnia will be overturned, and perish in fire and water." The crowd gasped as she uttered these words. "That boy," she declared, "will die on the Stone Table."

"Enough, Witch!" Aslan growled. "We shall speak of it alone."

The Witch hesitated, and then followed Aslan into his tent. Lucy began to cry. "What's going to happen to Edmund?" she asked.

"Don't cry, Lucy," Susan said, putting an arm around her sister.

I sat down on the grass, and the other four followed my lead. Nobody felt like talking, but I kept stealing glances around at the Pevenies, and especially towards Aslan's tent. It seemed like hours had gone by before the Witch and Aslan finally came out of the tent. We all stood up, waiting with baited breath of what was to become of Edmund. The Witch walked down the little hill and glanced over at Edmund with a smirk. I felt my heart sink into my stomach, sure that she had won her claim over Edmund.

Then Aslan spoke. "She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood."

I gasped and looked at Edmund, who looked incredibly relieved beyond words. Then the Witch spoke again, saying, "How do I know your promise will be kept?" Aslan roared loudly and the Witch nearly ran for her life. The crowd began to cheer, and everyone started congratulating Edmund and telling him how glad they were his life was spared. In the midst of all the joy and excitement, however, I caught a glimpse of Aslan, who looked very disconsolate and padded back into his tent. The coldness I felt earlier returned, replacing all my exuberance at Edmund's life being spared. What had Aslan done to protect Edmund?

**_Review please! ~ The authoress_**


	13. Tragedy Strikes

Chapter 13: Tragedy Strikes

Peter and I took another walk that night. "I've never met anyone quite like you, Sophie," he remarked thoughtfully about halfway through our walk.

"What do you mean?" I asked, perplexed.

"You're different from the other girls I know," he said. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Thanks, I think," I said, feeling slightly confused and a great deal awkward.

"It's a good different," Peter said hastily. "I - I like it. Quite a lot, actually."

"Well, thank you, then," I said slowly, not knowing what else to say. I felt as though something tremendous was going to happen, and I wasn't sure if I wanted it to happen right now.

"Sophie," Peter said, taking my hand in his. Butterflies grew in my stomach, and I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say. "I know that we've only known each other for a couple weeks now, but - "

"Oh, Peter, don't," I cried out, snatching my hand away. "I know what you're going to say. Please, don't."

Peter looked hurt and confused. "I'm sorry," he said in a low voice after a few moments. "I thought perhaps you might have cared about me, more than just a friend would. I was wrong, and I apologize."

"It's not exactly like that," I said. "I don't know what to think. It's all so sudden."

"I know, and I'm terribly sorry," Peter said. "I shouldn't have said anything, and I am so very sorry."

"It's all right," I said awkwardly. "Can - could we please be friends for now? I really do like you in that way for sure. It's all the other stuff that I'm very unsure about."

"Yes," Peter said firmly. "I certainly would not want to lose your friendship over something silly like this."

I felt a great deal of relief. "Thank you, Peter," I said gratefully, looking up at him.

"Well, after all, a king can't be on awkward terms with his advisor," Peter joked.

I laughed. "No, that would certainly _not_ be good at all."

The rest of the walk was less awkward than I expected it to be. The two of us engaged in lighthearted conversation, completely avoiding all talk of the Witch and her deal with Aslan. I had not told anyone of the terribly sad look I had caught upon Aslan's face while everyone else was celebrating Edmund's being saved, for something inside me told me that it was not something I should share with anybody else.

When we got back to camp, both of us went to our respective tents, but not before saying goodnight to each other. "Goodnight, fair lady," Peter said chivalrously. Then he said, a bit more seriously, "I'm glad we still can be friends."

"Me too," I agreed, then added, "good Sir."

Peter grinned. "Until the morning, then," he said, sweeping a bow. Then he turned and jauntily walked away towards his tent.

I got ready for bed, half-engaging in Susan and Lucy's chatter. I slipped out of my dress and into my nightgown, feeling more and more bothered by the look I'd seen on Aslan's face. I knew that he'd done something drastic to save Edmund's life, and I feared the worst. Slowly, I climbed into my hammock, still sore from the amount of physical activity I had done in the past few days. Back in England, I was not used to doing so much physical activity.

I fell in and out of sleep that night. It was a warm night, and in addition to that I felt an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even the air itself seemed unsettled. Finally I sat straight up in my hammock. I knew I would not sleep that night.

I climbed quietly out of my hammock and put on my dress over my nightgown. Then, grabbing my invisibility cloak, I attempted to leave the tent without waking Lucy and Susan, but I was unsuccessful. "Where are you going?" Susan said drowsily from behind me.

"I - I can't sleep," I said.

"Neither can I!" Lucy said, sitting straight up. Turning around, I could see that Lucy was wide awake, and Susan less so.

Just then, a dark shadow passed outside of our tent - a shadow shaped like a lion. "Oh, no," I breathed.

"What's wrong?" Susan whispered.

"I don't know," I whispered back. "I've had this horrible feeling ever since Aslan made that deal with the Witch."

"So have I," Lucy said softly. "He looked terribly sad after he made the deal."

"You saw that too?" I asked. Lucy nodded. "He must have had to offer a great deal to the Witch in order to save Edmund," I mused.

"Let's follow him and see," Susan suggested.

"Yes," I said without a moment of hesitation. "Let's go.

A few minutes later, we had followed Aslan out of the camp and were now in the forest. An eerie silence lay over the forest; the only sounds were Aslan's footsteps and our softer, more girlish steps. Aslan walked slowly, with his head hanging down and tail hardly moving. _He almost looks like a prisoner going to his execution, _I thought blankly, and then suddenly stopped short. What if - no. I could not think of that possibility. I began to walk quietly again, but Aslan had noticed us following him.

"What are you doing out at this hour, Daughters of Eve?" His voice was gentle, yet it sounded so tired and so... _old_.

"We couldn't sleep," Lucy confessed.

A moment of silence went by before Aslan spoke again. "Walk with me, Daughters of Eve."

So we walked with Aslan through the dark, silent forest. Not a word was spoken during this time, but we walked slowly, the knowledge that something dreadful was about to happen hanging over us like a dark cloud. We walked for what seemed an eternity through the moonlit trees, until finally Aslan stopped. "This is where I must go on alone," he said gravely. "Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Sophie. And thank you, Lucy."

The three of us stood huddled together in the woods and watched silently as Aslan walked on alone. "We can't just leave him now," Lucy whispered.

"You're absolutely right," I agreed. "Let's keep going."

We followed him a little while longer through the forest, and as we walked I began to hear sounds. These sounds were not the sounds of the night, however, but sounds of ugliness, sounds of shrieking and fire and metal. I shivered and decided to put my cloak on, just in case something went terribly wrong. As we came around some trees, we found the source of the noises. "I think this is the Stone Table," I whispered to Susan and Lucy as we ducked behind some bushes.

_A great crowd of people were standing all round the Stone Table and though the moon was shining many of them carried torches which burned with evil-looking red flames and black smoke. But such people! Ogres with monstrous teeth, and wolves, and bull-headed people; spirits of evil trees and poisonous plants; Cruels and Hags and Incubuses, Wraiths, Horrors, Efreets, Sprites, Orknies, Wooses, and Ettins. In fact here were all those who were on the Witch's side and whom Maugrim had summoned at her command. And right in the middle, standing on the Table, was the Witch herself. _

_A howl and a gibber of dismay went up from the creatures when they first saw the great Lion pacing toward them, and for a moment even the Witch herself seemed to be struck with fear. Then she recovered herself and gave a wild, fierce laugh. "The fool!" she cried. "The fool has come. Bind him fast."_

_I held my breath, waiting for Aslan's roar and his spring upon his enemies. But it never came. Four Hags, grinning and leering, yet also (at first) hanging back and half afraid of what they had to do, had approached him. "Bind him, I say!" repeated the White Witch. The Hags made a dart at him and shrieked with triumph when they found that he made no resistance at all. Then others - evil dwarfs and apes - rushed in to help them, and between them they rolled the huge Lion over on his back and tied all his four paws together, shouting and cheering as if they had done something brave, though, had the Lion chosen, one of those paws could have been the death of them all. But he made no noise, even when the enemies, straining and tugging, pulled the cords so tight that they cut into his flesh. Then they began to drag him toward the Stone Table. _

_"Stop!" said the Witch. "Let him first be shaved."_

_Another roar of mean laughter went up from her followers as an ogre with a pair of shears came forward and squatted down by Aslan's head. Snip-snip-snip went the shears and masses of curling gold began to fall to the ground. Then the ogre stood back and the we could see the face of Aslan looking all small and different without its mane. The enemies also saw the difference. _

_"Why, he's only a great cat after all!" cried one. _

_"Is that what we were afraid of?" said another. _

_And they surged around Aslan, jeering at him, saying things like "Puss, Puss! Poor Pussy," and "How many mice have you caught today, Cat?" and "Would you like a saucer of milk, Pussums?"_

_"Oh, how can they?" said Lucy, tears streaming down her cheeks. "The brutes, the brutes!" for now Aslan looked to her braver, and more beautiful, and more patient than ever. _

_"Muzzle him," said the Witch. And even now, as they worked about his face putting on the muzzle, one bite from his jaws would have cost two or three of them their hands. But he never moved. And this seemed to enrage all that rabble. Everyone was at him now. Those who had been afraid to come near him even after he was bound began to find their courage, and for a few minutes we could not even see Aslan - so thickly was he surrounded by the whole crowd of creatures kicking him, hitting him, spitting on him, jeering at him. _

_At last the rabble had had enough of this. They began to drag the bound and muzzled Lion to the Stone Table, some pulling and some pushing. He was so huge that even when they got him there it took all their efforts to hoist him on to the surface of it. Then there was more tying and tightening of cords. _

_"The cowards! The cowards!" sobbed Susan. "Are they still afraid of him, even now?"_

_When once Aslan had been tied (and tied so that he was really a mass of cords) on the flat stone, a hush fell on the crowd. Four Hags, holding four torches, stood at the corners of the Table. The Witch bared her arms and began to whet her knife. It looked to the children, when the gleam of the torchlight fell on it, as if the knife were made of stone, not steel, and it was of a strange and evil shape._

_At last she drew near. She stood by Aslan's head. Her face was working and twitching with passion, but his looked up at the sky, still quiet, neither angry nor afraid, but a little sad. Then, just before she gave the blow, she stooped down and said in a quivering voice, "And now, who has won?" Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well? And who will take him out of my hand then? Understand that you have given me Narnia forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his. In that knowledge, despair, and die."_

I shut my eyes as she raised the knife above her head, for I could not bear to see Aslan die.

**_Everything in italics is directly from the book, with a couple things changed to accommodate writing from Sophie's POV. I tried to write the scene of Aslan's death myself, but I quickly realized that C. S. Lewis himself only could do justice to such a riveting moment in the story.  
After this chapter, I think I only have about four more chapters left until this story is complete. Fear not, however! I have plans to cover ALL the other Narnia books with the exception of the Magician's Nephew. The Horse and His Boy will be coming up soon, and I think I may even do another book focusing on the Pevensies' Golden Age. I'm not quite sure yet which will come first, the book focusing on the Pevensies' Golden Age or the book revolving around the events of HHB. It depends on how quickly I want to move Sophie and Peter's storyline along ;-)  
Ending on that note, review please! ~ The authoress_**


	14. All Through The Night

Chapter 14: All Through The Night

"The Great Cat is dead!" The Witch shouted triumphantly. Listening to the ugly, triumphant shouts from the Witch's followers, I didn't dare open my eyes yet. I couldn't quite yet bear to see Aslan lying dead on the Stone Table. "Prepare your troops for battle," the Witch said to the minotaur. He grunted and roared loudly, causing the crowd to roar and shriek and shout with him. The sounds of ugliness surrounded us for several moments and the ground shook as the Witch's followers rushed back off to their camp. I prayed that we would not be discovered, and readied myself to put on my invisibility cloak in case we were discovered.

Then there was silence. Complete, dead, utter silence.

I slowly raised my head and let my hands drop to my knees. Opening my eyes, I saw Susan holding Lucy protectively in her arms, and they both were weeping. "He died for Edmund," I said flatly. I could not cry - I knew I should cry, but the tears would not come. Instead, my mind was thinking about all the danger we were now in because Aslan died.

"Oh!" Lucy suddenly sat up. "I've got my cordial with me; perhaps - "

"It's too late," Susan said, looking towards the Stone Table where Aslan lay dead. "He's gone."

Lucy began to cry again. "Someone's got to tell the others," I said, laying a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"We can't just leave him here," Susan argued, wiping away her tears the best she could.

"I'll go," I said, biting my lip.

"But what if they catch you?" Susan asked worriedly.

"I've got my invisibility cloak, remember? I think that if I'm to use this, now's as good a time as any," I said earnestly.

"Use it now and not if you're in danger," Susan pleaded. "No one will see you use it here, except the two of us."

"All right," I agreed, and with that I lifted the hood of my cloak over my head.

Being invisible was the strangest feeling I had ever felt before, so strange I could hardly find the words to describe it. Everything looked very shimmery, almost as if it were made out of water or glass, but I had no time to waste thinking about that. "I can't see you," Susan said.

"I suppose that's a good thing," I said woodenly. "I've got to go. I'll come back if I'm able to."

With that I began to run through the forest, weaving through trees and hoping I would be able to find my way back to Aslan's camp - _Peter's camp, now_, I thought to myself with a rather sick feeling. I ignored this thought and ran faster, nearly tripping over roots and dead branches as I did so. Just as I thought I could not find my way out of the forest, I saw the edge of the meadow and some red and gold tents in the distance. I burst out of the forest, now running through the tall grass and up towards the hill where the camp lay. I quietly hurried through camp and into the Pevensie boys' tent. Both boys were sleeping peacefully in their hammocks, and I almost hated to wake them. But wake them I did.

"Peter, Edmund, wake up, something terrible's happened!" I said in a rather loud voice.

Peter woke up first and sat straight up, drawing his sword. "Who's there?" he asked.

"It's me, Sophie," I said.

"Where are you?" he asked, looking around. "I can't see you."

I had completely forgotten to take off the hood on my invisibility cloak. Reaching up, I took the hood off. "Is that better?" I asked.

Peter's mouth formed an "o" and he sheathed his sword. "Your invisibility cloak," he said.

"Yes," I replied.

Edmund by this point had also woken up. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"I'm so sorry I had to wake you, but something horrible has happened," I said gravely. I suddenly felt myself about to cry and choked back the tears. "It's Aslan. He's - he's dead. The Witch... she killed him, she killed him, and I couldn't look and..." With that I began to weep, the tears coming at last.

Peter was out of his hammock in a flash and held me close to him in his strong arms. "Oh, Sophie," he said somberly. "You - you _saw_ the Witch kill him?"

"Yes," I sobbed. "So did Susan and Lucy; they're with Aslan's body now."

"By themselves?" Edmund asked worriedly.

"They'll be all right, the Witch took all her followers with her. But, oh, she killed him on the Stone Table instead of Edmund. That was the deal they made, and now - now they're gathering their army to fight us and what are we going to do?" I gripped Peter's shirt and wept into it, unable to control my crying at this point.

Peter rubbed one hand over my back. "We're going to fight back, Sophie; that's what we're going to do," he said firmly. "We're going to fight back for Aslan."

I nodded, still crying. "For Aslan," I hiccuped.

"Edmund, get Oreius and tell him what's happened. We've got to plan this battle, now." Peter looked as if he had aged years within the past few minutes as he spoke.

"Right," Edmund said, and rushed out of the tent.

"Sophie, I don't want you to fight in this battle," Peter began.

"Why not?" I asked, cutting him off. "I want to help."

"You're not ready to fight in a battle," Peter said, obviously trying to be tactful. "I saw you practicing archery the other day."

I hung my head and wiped away the tears on my face. "It was pretty bad," I admitted.

"Will you go back to Susan and Lucy and make sure they're all right?" Peter asked.

"Yes," I said, looking up at him. "I can do that."

So it was that only a few minutes later I found myself going back through the forest to the Stone Table. Although it was still night, the sky was beginning to lighten. _It will be morning soon,_ I thought absently. I didn't want to think of what the next nightfall might bring.

When I reached the Stone Table, I found Susan and Lucy still with Aslan. They had somehow managed to free him of all his bonds, which I was very glad of. "Peter sent me back here to be with you two," I said, heavily climbing the steps of the Stone Table. "He and Edmund are preparing the army for battle."

Susan nodded. "I suppose we should go back, then," she said dismally. "C'mon, Lucy. It's time we headed back."

Lucy, who had been asleep, sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. "All right," she said drowsily. Reluctantly, Susan and Lucy stood up and the three of us began to leave the Stone Table. I looked behind me one last time sadly and saw for the last time Aslan's body lying still on the Stone Table illuminated by the rising sun.

We'd only gone a few paces, however, when the ground began to shake violently and the three of us were thrown to the ground. I gripped my invisibility cloak, ready to use it. The earth stopped shaking within a couple seconds, fortunately, and we stood up slowly. "He's gone!" Lucy cried out in alarm, looking back towards the Stone Table.

The Stone Table was cracked in half and Aslan's body was gone. "Who would do such a thing?" Susan said in horror.

"The Witch's followers," I said grimly.

"Or more magic," Lucy said.

"Yes, it is more magic!" a deep, rumbling voice came from behind us. As we turned around, Aslan himself stepped up from the other side of the Stone Table, outshining the sunrise itself. I could have sworn my heart stopped for a second that moment and I nearly fell over in shock.

"Aslan!" the three of us cried out, and ran to him.

Aslan chuckled. "My dear ones," he said.

"But you were dead," Lucy said in confusion.

"If the Witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, she might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently," Aslan said gravely. "There is a Magic even deeper than the Deep Magic, older than time, that says when a willing victim who has committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stead, the Stone Table will crack and even death itself would turn backwards."

"And so you're alive," I said. For some reason, I began to cry again.

"Dear Sophie, do not cry," Aslan said. "The time of sorrow is over, and the time of joy is about to begin. But first, we must help your brothers. We are going to the Witch's house, Daughters of Eve, to wake those she has turned to stone. On my back, all three of you!"

So we climbed on Aslan's back, and he began to run. It was the most exhilarating ride of my life. We rode through forests and meadows, over rivers and hills, farther and farther until I could see a castle in the distance. "That must be the Witch's castle," I said. Aslan kept running until we were about to run straight into the tall gate in front, when he jumped up and leapt over the gate. The three of us slid off his back when he landed on the ground, and we began to laugh from the exhilaration of the ride we'd just had. Then we noticed our surroundings.

We were standing in a courtyard full of stone creatures: small animals such as rabbits and foxes, centaurs, dwarves, fauns, and even a giant. Lucy ran up to one statue of a faun and began to cry. "It's Mr. Tumnus," she whispered.

As she cried over her friend's misfortune, however, Aslan softly padded over to the stone Mr. Tumnus and - I noted with curiosity - breathed on him. Slowly, the color began to return to Mr. Tumnus starting from the tips of his horns, moving over his curly brown hair, his face, his scarf; and suddenly he gasped and nearly fell on top of Lucy. "Why, it's Lucy!" Mr. Tumnus exclaimed once he'd gotten his breath back. "I - I don't suppose you've got my handkerchief, do you?"

Lucy laughed and threw her arms around Mr. Tumnus's neck. Susan and I looked at each other, wondering the joke was over the handkerchief, but I shrugged and we smiled at Lucy's joy. Looking around, I saw that Aslan had woken up the rest of the stone creatures, and now they were alive and moving about. "My friends," Aslan said over the creatures talking amongst themselves. "Your kings are in battle with the Witch. We must go help them."

"Aye!" the newly-awakened creatures cheered. Somehow I found myself atop Aslan's back again with Lucy and Susan, and off we went to the aid of Peter and Edmund. I hoped the Narnians were doing all right against the Witch's army, but I worried nonetheless that we would arrive to a bloodbath, or that something dreadful had happened to Edmund or, worse still, Peter. As we approached the battlefield several minutes after our departure, I held my breath, hoping the scene I was about to see would not be a horrific one.

_**I was wrong when I said after the last chapter there would be four more chapters. There will actually be three, including this one, so two more to go! I can hardly believe this story's almost finished. I've begun to write the first chapter of the next book, however, so once this story's finished I will post the next!  
Review please!  
~The authoress**_


	15. The Battle and What Followed

Chapter 15: The Battle And What Followed

We reached the edge of a steep hill that was practically a cliff and Aslan roared loudly, causing everyone in the battle to look up for a moment in astonishment at the Lion. Then Susan, Lucy, and I slid off his back as Aslan ran into the scene of battle along with the other creatures that had been stone only hours earlier.

The scene of the battle was every bit as bad as I had imagined, with people not only dead and wounded but turned to stone as well. After a few moments of searching, my eyes found Peter fighting valiantly against the Witch. Relief flooded over me upon seeing Peter alive and fighting. When I looked for Edmund, however, I saw him lying on the ground, unconscious and wounded. "Oh, no," I gasped. "Lucy, you've got to give him your cordial."

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw Edmund, and she began to run down the edge of the cliff to a place where she could get down to the battlefield more quickly. Susan and I followed her, tripping all over our skirts in our haste to reach Edmund. During the time we began to run and we reached Edmund, however, somehow the battle was mysteriously over. The Witch's remaining followers fled the scene, chased by the reinforcements we'd brought with us. If it wasn't for the fact that Edmund lay wounded somewhere on the battlefield, I would have most likely sat down in my astonishment at the battle being over so quickly. As it was, I stopped short for a few moments, terrified to move as the creatures stumbled past me. Then they were gone, and Susan and Lucy were far ahead of me; for apparently they had not been too afraid to run against the wave of the remnants of the Witch's followers being chased by our reinforcements. I picked up my skirts and began to run again, through the soldiers that had been either wounded or turned to stone. As I was running towards Edmund, however, I somehow managed to run straight into Peter. "Oh!" I exclaimed, almost falling over. "Edmund - "

"I know," Peter said worriedly, taking off into a run towards Edmund.

Once again, I picked up my skirts and began to run. My legs ached horribly from the amount of running I'd done in the past three days, but I kept going, half stumbling as I neared Edmund. Peter, Susan, and Lucy were already huddled over Edmund. "The cordial, is it working?" I asked breathlessly reached them.

"No," Susan said tearfully, but as she spoke Edmund began to cough and his eyes opened.

He'd hardly done so when Peter gathered him up in his arms. "When are you ever gonna learn to do as you're told?" he choked.

Then Susan and Lucy fell on top of their brothers, and I smiled at the beautiful family reunion I was witness to. Looking up, I saw Aslan coming towards the Pevensies. He caught my gaze and, nodding towards me, returned my smile. Then he spoke. "Dear Lucy, there are others, too, besides your brother who have been wounded.

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed, catching up her cordial. Then as Aslan returned all those to life who had been turned to stone, Lucy ran about the battlefield healing the wounded with her cordial.

"She's got such a good heart," I said, coming up to the other three Pevensies. "And I'm glad to see you're alive, Edmund."

"Thanks, Sophie," Edmund said, looking up at me.

"So, you two," I said, sitting down on the grass with them, "what happened in the battle?"

Peter spoke first. "Edmund was brilliant," he said. "Everyone else was trying to go for the Witch herself, but they all got turned to stone in the process. Edmund went right for her wand and smashed it to bits."

"And got stabbed in the stomach right afterwards," Edmund said. "Pete, here, was pretty good himself. Killed a lot of the Witch's army."

"I saw you fighting with the Witch when we got here," I said.

"I didn't kill her though," Peter said. "I just sort of held her off and she nearly killed me when Aslan got there just in time."

"Well I'm glad he did," Susan said. I nodded in agreement soberly.

It wasn't too long afterward that Aslan and Lucy came back, having restored a vast number of our wounded soldiers to good health. "It is time to go to Cair Paravel, children," Aslan said.

"How far is it?" Lucy asked inquisitively.

"Not far," Aslan chuckled. "We shall be there in just a few short hours."

"Oh, good!" Lucy said. We all laughed at her excitement, and I think we all shared her sentiments. We'd done a great deal of travelling and fighting in the past three days, and I knew I, for one, was absolutely exhausted.

The next hour or so was a blur as we went back to camp and everyone rushed around to pack up camp. Before I knew it, we were on our way to Cair Paravel, and I was riding a horse for the first time. I felt very unsteady on the horse, and yet everyone told me this filly was the one of the smoothest in Narnia. She was a Talking Horse, however, named Anamir, and so the two of us became quite good friends on our journey to Cair Paravel. I soon learned that Anamir was to be my own horse, and I was especially happy that if I was to have a horse that I had such a friendly one.

Peter came up to me at one point with his horse, a fine steed named Cesar who also happened to be a Talking Horse. Our horses began to converse, and so that left Peter and I to talk. I told him all about the night I'd had, starting with how I was unable to sleep that night and accidentally awoke Susan and Lucy all the way to the moment we arrived at the battlefield. Peter listened intently as I told him all these things and didn't say a word until I had finished.

"That sounds like... you had quite a harrowing night, Sophie," Peter said once I had finished.

"That's one way to put it," I sighed. "I'm just glad that everything worked out all right, and that you or Edmund weren't..."

"Killed," Peter finished.

"Yeah," I nodded, a lump in my throat. "I've seen enough people I... I care about die. I don't think that I could have handled anyone else dying."

"Well, I for one intend to be around for a long time yet," Peter said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "You'll never be rid of me, Sophie, no matter how hard you try."

"Good," I laughed. "I don't think I want to be rid of you. Not quite yet, anyways."

"Yet?" Peter began to say, but then he stopped short. For it was at that moment that we rounded a bend in the forest, and Cair Paravel lay before us in all her magnificent glory. Its white marble towers shone in the evening sun, and its thousands of windows reflected iridescent light.

"Oh!" I gasped, unable to say anything else about the beautiful palace.

"That's... ours," Peter said, dumbfounded.

"I love it," I said, excitement bubbling up inside me. "Oh, Peter, we're going to live there! I can hardly wait to see the inside!"

Peter laughed at my excitement. "We'll be there soon," he said. "And then I think we'll just have to go exploring tomorrow, hmm?"

"Yes," I said eagerly. "Just think of all the secret passages that could be inside... and look! We've got the seaside right at our front door! I always liked the water."

"Let's go down there tonight, if there's time," Peter suggested.

"Absolutely!" I agreed.

It wasn't long before we were riding over the light stone bridge that led to the city. It was strangely empty, but Anamir said that it soon would be filled with the soldiers from Aslan's army, as well as embassies from other lands, which would in turn bring immigrants from other lands. Cair Paravel would soon be a thriving, bustling city full of people and creatures and Talking Animals, she assured us.

We reached the golden palace gates, which swung open wide as we approached. As we rode inside, the strangest feeling came over me and I turned to Peter. "I've had the oddest feeling just now," I said.

"What's that?" Peter asked curiously.

"I feel as though I've come home," I said, smiling.

"So do I," Peter said, smiling back at me, and then we turned towards the palace to take our first real look at our new home.

**_And that's the penultimate chapter, guys! One more to go after this, and then the sequel shall be posted! Review please!  
~ The authoress_**


	16. The Coronation

Chapter 16: The Coronation

"I've decided I love this place," I said a couple days later, as the five of us lounged in Peter's study. All of us had been given our own apartments near each other, so we could visit each other as we pleased.

"That's probably a good thing," Edmund said. "After all, we're going to be living here for quite some time, I expect."

"I can hardly believe all that's happened in the last few days," Susan remarked thoughtfully. "I mean, just think. Only a couple of weeks ago, none of us knew Narnia existed."

"And then I found it," Lucy added.

"Yes," Peter said, laughing a bit. "You certainly did, Lu."

"Aren't you glad I made you all play hide and seek now?" Lucy asked impishly.

"I think I can speak for all of us and say, yes, we are incredibly glad you made us play hide and seek," I said, nodding vigorously.

"Well, I do believe it's time for us girls to go get the final fittings for the coronation tomorrow," Susan said, getting up from her chair.

"Have fun," Edmund said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Indeed we shall," I said. "Would you like me to tell you all about my dress when we get back?"

"No!" both boys exclaimed at once. We all burst into laughter at that.

* * *

The next morning was a blur of getting ready for the coronation, which was to be held that afternoon. My ladies-in-waiting - yes, I had ladies-in-waiting of my own, four of them, to be exact! - helped me into my dress, did my hair, picked out some appropriate jewelry, and even fetched my shoes. I felt like a princess, even though my title was that of Lady.

So it was that a little before lunchtime, I gazed into the full-length mirror sitting in my room and (rather vainly, I'm afraid) admired my reflection. I was dressed in a beautiful sea green gown with long, flowing sleeves and a darker green belt around the waist. My long dark hair had been curled into ringlets and pinned up on top of my head. A sea green crystal choker was fastened around my neck, and gold seashell earrings were clipped onto my ears, for my ears had never been pierced.

"Oh, milady, you look beautiful!" Melisande, one of my ladies-in-waiting, cried out. She, along with the other three girls, had been sent over from Archenland, a bordering country, with several others as their monarchs' way of helping us settle into Narnian life.

"Thank you," I said. "And, please, all four of you. I want you all to call me Sophie, for I'd like us all to become very good friends, and there's no way we can become good friends if you're all calling me "milady" all the time, am I right?"

"Of course, er, Sophie, if that's what you wish," Tatiana, another of my ladies-in-waiting, said.

"Excellent!" I said. Before I could say anything else, however, there was a knock at the door. "Uh, come in," I said.

A faun, who I'd learned a couple days earlier was named Laertes, came in. "Milady, it is time to go down to the coronation," he said. "There's a spot just for you in the front row!"

"Oh, thank you for telling me," I said. I smoothed my dress and took one final look in the mirror before I began to go down to the coronation.

The Great Hall was magnificently decorated with exotic flowers, shimmering gossamer, and, I noted with some curiosity, peacock feathers in large vases. Upon asking the dryad on my right, however, I that peacock feathers symbolized good fortune and especially good fortune to royalty. _I suppose the saying is true, that you really do learn something new every day,_ I thought to myself.

Then the trumpets sounded, and we all rose to greet Narnia's new monarchs as they slowly walked down the Great Hall towards the four thrones sitting upon the dais. Lucy, dressed in a gown of pale blue with a bright red cape, was on the far left. Next to her was Susan, dressed in a silvery blue gown with flowing sleeves and a dark teal cape. On the far right was Edmund, wearing a silver tunic with teal undersleeves and a silver cape; and next to him was Peter, dressed in a tunic of dark green and a cape of shimmering gold. And in the middle of the four, in between Susan and Peter, was Aslan, magnificent and regal as always.

They walked slowly up to the dais, where each of the four stood in front of the thrones. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver came forth, each holding a pillow with two crowns on it. Mr. Tumnus, too, came up with them, although he held nothing. Then Aslan began to speak.

"To the glistening Eastern Sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant." Mr. Tumnus took from Mrs. Beaver's pillow a delicate silver crown with small silver flowers and gently placed it on Lucy's head.

"To the great Western Woods, I give you King Edmund, the Just." Atop Edmund's head was placed a larger, more masculine silver crown.

"To the radiant Southern Sun, I give you Queen Susan, the Gentle." Mr. Tumnus placed a delicate gold crown with small golden flowers encircling it upon Susan's head.

"And to the clear Northern Sky, I give you King Peter, the Magnificent." Mr. Tumnus took the last remaining crown, a large gold crown with many points, and placed it onto Peter's head.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia," Aslan said. "May you yourselves grow in wisdom and grace, and may your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens."

Then the crowd began to cheer. "Long live King Peter! Long live Queen Susan! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Lucy!" The cheers rang through the hall for what seemed the longest time as the four new monarchs beamed upon the crowd. I was so happy that I felt my heart would burst. I was convinced the day could not possibly get any better.

I was wrong on this point, it did get better.

"Narnian people," Aslan spoke as the cheers died down. "To you I have given four monarchs, two Kings and two Queens to rule and guide and protect you. To them I give an advisor to help them rule and guide and protect you the best they can. Lady Sophie, would you please come forth."

I blinked a couple times in astonishment and after a moment began my ascent to the dais, completely confused and bewildered as to why _I_ was being honored.

"Lady Sophie, Daughter of Eve," Aslan said. "I task you with the important role of Advisor to the Narnian monarchs. Will you accept this role?"

"Yes," I said, managing to find my voice.

"Then I name you Lady Sophie of the Lantern, Advisor to the Narnia Monarchs," Aslan said.

The cheers began again. "Long live Lady Sophie!" the crowd cheered. I smiled, feeling quite awkward and hoping Aslan would let me leave the dais as soon as possible.

Fortunately for me, the cheers died down after a little bit and the real fun began. Within minutes the Great Hall was set up for the Coronation ball, and fauns began to bring out platters of food to the long tables set up on one side. Some dryads and fauns began to play lively music, and the dancing began. "That was a lovely ceremony," I said as the four Pevensies came over to me.

"It was indeed," Susan said, smiling.

"And you got a title yourself! Lady Sophie of the Lantern, Advisor to the Narnia Monarchs," Lucy said excitedly. "That sounds lovely!"

"Lovely and a whole lot of work," I laughed.

"Does this mean you have to keep us in line?" Edmund asked hesitantly.

"I do believe it does," I said, grinning my most evil grin.

"That doesn't sound very nice - ow!" Edmund said as Peter swatted him on the arm.

"Oh, shut up, Ed," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "I think Sophie's going to be a wonderful advisor."

"I do hope so," I said. "I hope I can fulfill the task Aslan has set before me."

"I think you shall," Susan said encouragingly. "Now, then, enough talk of business kinds of things. Let's eat! I haven't eaten anything since breakfast this morning."

"Neither have I," Edmund said, following Susan to the tables of food.

"The food does look delicious," I said, and the remaining three of us joined Edmund and Susan by the food.

We feasted and danced the rest of the afternoon into the evening. It was an exhilarating time, filled with laughter and fun and jokes. I danced with Peter a few times as well as Edmund, although the latter was a few inches shorter than me, something which I teased him about until he got irritated, to which I comforted him with the thought that in the next few years he would surpass almost all of us - except for perhaps Peter.

Later that evening, as the sun began to set, I joined Lucy at a balcony overlooking the sea and was surprised to find her crying. "Why, Lucy, whatever's the matter?" I asked in concern.

"He's gone," Lucy said, pointing towards the beach.

I looked closely at the beach and saw large paw prints in the sand along the water and I realized that Aslan had left. "He'll be back, Lucy," I said. "I'm sure of it. But you know, he couldn't stay here forever. After all, he's not a tame lion."

"No," Lucy agreed. "But he's _good._"

"Yes," I said thoughtfully. "Yes, he certainly is."

"Sophie!" I heard Peter call from behind me.

"Yes?" I answered.

"I was wondering, would you care to dance? They're playing a very pretty song in there that I think you'd like," Peter said.

"Of course I'll dance with you, you goose, no matter what song they're playing," I said, laughing a little and taking the hand he offered me.

We danced to the sweet music of the dryads, talking of the future and what lay before us. Though I was worried about the task set before me, and still wondered what my true purpose to being in Narnia was, I took comfort in Peter's friendship and support, and somehow knew that no matter what, we would stand by each other until the end of time.

And so with friendship, laughter, and love, the Pevensies began their reign in Narnia, and I began my role as their advisor. The future, no matter how difficult it would be, lay bright and open before us, and I had never been more content and happy with my life as I was at that moment. For the first time in my life, I felt as though I had finally come home.

**_And so it is finished. I've had a wonderful time writing this, and I hope you all have had a wonderful time reading this! I will be posting the first chapter of the sequel shortly, as in possibly even tomorrow. It's completely written, although there are a few things I'm fiddling around with, such as a title, haha.  
Review and keep an eye out for the sequel!  
~ The authoress_**


	17. Author's Note

_**The sequel is posted! It's called When the Time is Right and if you enjoyed this story, you should go check it out! Thanks!  
**__**~ The authoress**_


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